Volume 59 ORRIS Number 4 April MONTHLONTHLYY 2019

MAGAZINE OF THE MORRIS REGISTER The Club for Morris vehicles designed before 1940 www.morrisregister.co.uk NATIONAL RALLY 9/10/11 August, Thoresby Park, Notts NG22 9EP 1 Volume 59 ORRIS Number 4 April ONTHLY 2019 MAGAZINEM OF THE MORRIS REGISTER

CONTENTS CHAIRMAN John Ford writes: e are now well into April and hopefully the harsh 2 Chairman Wwinter weather is behind us. Judging by the turnout 3 Editor at this year's Restoration Show at the NEC, some 25000 visitors were about, admiring our cars and the ‘work in hand’ 4 Secretary's Spot being undertaken by the various club displays at the show. Our own Bulletin Board stand created a great deal of interest from members and public alike, we were all kept busy explaining the virtues and reality of owning a classic 5 Warm Welcome car. Hopefully we will have some good news on the awards front from What's it Worth? Saturday evening awards ceremony, we are short listed for two awards this year. Watch this space! 6 Federation Feedback Our loan car was on display, with this year's loanee from Hertfordshire, Registrar's Ramblings David Allanson, keen to start the season. He promises to attend as many local shows as possible and will be at our National Rally in August. He 8/9 Forum Files will be attending his local noggin at Hitchen and hopes to meet fellow members there. Ian Harris will be on hand to give him some guidance 10-15 Exactly Eighty as to where the best events are. We wish him the best of luck, look out 16/17 Pictures from the Past for reports in the MM and on Facebook. By the time you read this, the National Committee meeting will have 18/20 Minor Musings taken place and hopefully a decision will have been made regarding the future of our National Rally at Thoresby. We also need to make plans for 21-23 Eight Diff Rebuild (Pt 2) our forthcoming 60th anniversary next year, so if you have any ideas, 24/25 John's Jottings please offer them to me or our secretary, Jim Riglar. We now have a 60 years celebratory English fine bone china mug for sale from the club 26-43 Regional Round Up shop. These are very fine quality, made in Stoke on Trent, fitting for our club. It is a very limited edition, so order yours now (available also at 44-45 Members' Morris Thoresby). 45/46 Morris Mail Drive-it-Day plaques are available from the club shop, so help promote your club on the 28th April, they are designed for the Morris Register. 46/47 Morris Mart Whatever car you are driving, enjoy your day, and keep safe. Our new magazine delivery cover appears to be well received, at least 48 Foto Finish

Cover picture: Avril Ovenden driving her 1932 with her husband Tim navigating, in the Pre-War Minor Network’s Rally in on 10th June 18. [Kate Martin Photo] [Photo: Kate Martin] The Morris Register Spares Service he Register’s Spares Service aims to provide a basic service that will help members keep their Morris Tin good fettle and suitable for safe and enjoyable motoring. We stock a range of spares needed for the maintenance and overhaul of the most popular models.These stock items mainly comprise , transmission, electrical and brake parts for the Morris 8, 10 and Minor models with a limited stock of similar parts for other Morris models. ON-LINE SHOP (www.morrisregisterspares.co.uk) The new on-line mail order shop enables members to shop for Morris Spares in a secure on-line environment. The Shop includes a full description, a photo, and details of which Morris models each part will fit. Each product in the shop has a unique “part number” with 2 letters and 3 numbers, and is a unique reference system for our Spares Service. The shop is linked to a secure PayPal payment system; you don’t have to have a PayPal account to use this, you can use your credit or debit card. Please go to the Club’s web site and click on Services/Benefits – Spares Service. The information given in the descriptions in the on-line shop should be sufficient to identify the parts you need. We cannot answer questions from members as to which is the correct part for their car, or about parts suitability or application. 2 MORRISMORRIS REGISTER REGISTER INFORMATION INFORMATION CENTRE: CENTRE: TheThe viewsviews andand opinionsopinions expressedexpressed byby thethe PatPat and and Barbara Barbara Farmer Farmer  03330333 006 006 5255 5255 EditorEditor and and contributors contributors to to this this magazine magazine are are (10(10 am am to to 7 7 pm pm UK UK time) time) [email protected]@morrisregister.co.uk theirstheirs alone alone and and do do not not necessarily necessarily reflect reflect the the viewsviews of of The The Pre Pre 1940 1940 Morris Morris Register Register Limited. Limited. CHAIRMAN:CHAIRMAN: SECRETARY:SECRETARY: AnyAny adviceadvice providedprovided isis notnot intendedintended toto bebe JohnJohn Ford Ford   0138601386 832 832 447 447 JimJim Riglar Riglar   0333 0333 006 006 5521 5521 adviceadvice onon whichwhich youyou shouldshould rely.rely. YouYou mustmust [email protected]@morrisregister.co.uk [email protected] [email protected] obtainobtain professional professional or or specialist specialist advice advice before before takingtaking oror refrainingrefraining fromfrom anyany actionaction basedbased MEMBERSHIPMEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: SECRETARY: onon the the content content of of this this magazine. magazine. No No liability liability OfficeOffice hours: hours: 9 9 am am - -5 5 pm, pm, Monday Monday to to Friday Friday isis accepted accepted for for the the consequences consequences of of following following ChristineChristine Haigh Haigh   0333 0333 006 006 5256 5256 [email protected] [email protected] anyany advice advice provided provided in in the the magazine. magazine.

we are doing our bit. Don’t forget to compost it! EDITOR: Rob Symonds, Next month you will receive your new membership card and tax disc, 21 Swallow Drive, Bingham a bit of an improvement on recent years. If you have not yet renewed Notts NG13 8QA the likelihood is you won’t get one or next month's mag, so "last orders [email protected] please!".  0333 006 5498 We are now looking at increase charges for using cheques. With more bank branches closing, it is becoming increasingly difficult getting to a bank. We DEADLINE have had quite a number sent back having not been signed, having wrong 14th of the month prior to publication date, having wrong payee, even having different coloured inks! Banks are MAGAZINE NON-ARRIVAL: getting rather picky. Our membership Secretary, Christine Haigh, now has Please contact the Membership Secretary a secure card reader, so a quick phone call to her will save you time and Contact details above money (about £4) and make it easier for us. It makes sense to me! Finally, will members please note that the Morris Register is a non- political BACK ISSUES: may be purchased organisation. Any member using other members email addresses to make from the Club Shop political gains, statements or opinions, as happened recently, will have WEBSITE: www.morrisregister.co.uk their email address blocked by the club. Keep politics out of the club! Contact: Mike Rose, Webmaster EDITOR Rob Symonds writes: [email protected] ith the NEC show taking up a lot of time, it has been SMALL ADS: Post/email to: Wquite a struggle putting the mag together this month, The Editor (see above) so I apologise if it has been a little late arriving or there a Free for members (max 1 car per month) a few more typos than usual, as thorough re-reading has not Non-members: please contact for charges. been possible. Photos and a report on the NEC are pencilled in for next month so, for COMPLAINTS: Any complaints now, I will just mention the "Serious" E street rod that appeared on our against any officer of the club, or about stand. It prompted me to check out the broader Morris street rod scene the way the club is being administered should be referred to the Secretary and I have put some pictures on the back page. Definitely to be avoided by those of a weak disposition! What is the Register coming to! THE PRE 1940 MORRIS REGISTER LTD DVLA V765 Service: The Club can now take a limited number Registered Office: of new applications. For advice on registration number retention 70 Alderton Way, Trowbridge, contact the DVLA Officer at [email protected] Wiltshire BA14 0UH

©Morris Register and various authors and photographers. PRINTED BY Material published in Morris Monthly may not be published CAMBRIAN PRINTERS elsewhere without the permission of the Editor.  01970 627 111 The Morris Register Spares Service POSTAL SALES If you know the part number of the parts you need, but don’t want to use the on-line shop, please get in touch with David and Lindsay Smith, email: [email protected] or by post at Morris Spares, Units 5 & 6 Priory Farm Industrial Estate, Station Road, Portbury, , BS20 7TN. We cannot take orders by phone. • Please state clearly the part number (the unique 2-letter, 3-number code as shown in the on- line shop), the description of the item you need, and the quantity • Please quote the model and chassis number of your car – take the chassis number from the brass plate under the bonnet, and include the letters as well as the numbers • Please quote your name, address and membership number in all communications • We can accept payments by cheque, but prefer payments by card using PayPal. Instructions for payment will be given when you order • Please remember the Service is run by members for the benefit of other members in their own time amidst many other family and personal priorities • If you are not sure what the correct part is, please put a request for help onto the Forum. There will always be members “on line” who will be able to share their knowledge with you. 33 SECRETARY Secretary’s Spot Jim Riglar

Motorsport UK s the classic motoring season changes up into top gear, may I remind you that if you are organising an event such Aas a road run, you may need to obtain a Motorsport UK Certificate of Exemption (CoE).-= As many of you will be aware Motorsport UK is the new name for the RAC Motor Sports Association (MSA). The name may have changed but the need to obtain CoE cover from them, as appropriate, has not. If you are in any doubt, contact Tom Taylor our MSA Officer who will be able to provide advice. On a personal note, may I offer thanks to all of those who have either covered for me or who have put up with a sparse and intermittent service from me over the past seven months as an intended move of home turned into a major six month house refurbishment task before being able to move. By the time you read this Anne and I should be ensconced in our new home and I should soon be able to restore normal secretarial service for the Morris Register.

Last Chance for Renewals A final reminder form is included this month, so please complete and return it if you have not done so already.

Early Members en years ago, our honorary president, Frank Ashley, organised a reunion of early members of the club to celebrate Tthe fifty years since its formation. Now, as our sixtieth annivesary approaches in 2020, the idea of a similar get together has been suggested. Obviously, many of the earliest members are no longer with us, but in addition to those known to us as current members, there may be several others, no longer members, who are known to current members. So, if you know of anyone who was a member in the early years, say up to about the end of the 1960s, then please contact Frank Ashley ([email protected]) or John Ford (details on page 3).

Bulletin Board

Extraordinary General Meeting, Saturday 6th April This will take place on Saturday 6th April commencing at 10.30 am. Venue is the Magnolia Park Hotel, Golf & Country Club, Arncott Road, Boarstall, Aylesbury, HP18 9XX.

National Committee Meeting This will take place on Saturday 6th April, immediately after the EGM.

National Rally This will take place on (9th), 10th & 11th August at Thoresby Park, Notts, NG22 9EP. Following comments on the forum that these dates are not being advertised with sufficent prominence, the Rally dates will now appear on the front page of Morris Monthly every month. Fewer excuses now for not turning up!

National Rally Accommodation Discounted prices for three nights 9/10/11 August 2019: Standard room: £270 per person Signature room: £300 per person Historic room: £308 per person Some single Standard rooms with no added single occupancy charge are available @ £270 The price includes Warner's holiday insurance cover for all rooms. A deposit of £35 per person is required when booking with the balance due by 31st May 2019. This can be done either by cheque payable to M.R.Dixon or by bank transfer (details on application). Please let Malcolm Dixon know as soon as possible if you wish to book a room on 01132 670 424 or [email protected].

Drive-it-Day Plaques It is still not too late to obtain your non-date dependent (i.e. re-usable) Drive-it-Day plaque from the club shop in time for this year's D-i-D on 28th April. Cost is £4.95 + £2 p and p. Please contact Pat and Barbara Farmer on 0333 006 5255 (10 am to 7 pm). Note that these have the club logo in the centre, not the modified one as shown here. Welsh members who want the design shown are advised to contact John Howells, 01443 432 542 or [email protected].

Beamish Weekend 15/16 June As detailed last month's magazine, planning for this event is well in hand. If you are interested, then contact Roy Pidgeon. He is moving house but can still be contacted on 07932 928 966 or [email protected] 4 New and returning Warm Welcome members NO. MEMBER LOCATION eMAIL CAR DETAILS Don & 14483 Merrily Wilson 97532 USA [email protected] Robert Koller & 14490 Madeleine Ksossong L-8011 Luxembourg [email protected]

14491 John Mills Northants NN9 [email protected] 1935 Eight Pre Series Saloon

Martin & 14492 Diana Briault Surrey GU6 [email protected] 1937 Eight Series 1 2 Door saloon Wayne Brown & 14493 Nicole Reslieaux 4610 New Zealand [email protected] 1937 Eight Series 2 2 Door saloon Stuart & Bath & NE Somerset 14494 Margaret Tibbs BS39 [email protected] 1937 Eight Series 1 2 Seater Ten Four 14495 Neil Smallwood West Midlands B32 [email protected] 1935 Pre Series Sliding head John & Commercial 14496 Rayner Wilson CV23 [email protected] 1938 Series 1 PO Andrew & 14497 Jacqueline Freeborn RG31 [email protected] 1948 Eight Series E Saloon Alister & 1926 Oxford Bullnose 5 Seater tourer 14498 Susan Gray Oxfordshire OX39 [email protected] 1935 Ten Sliding head

14499 David Allanson Hertfordshire SG8 [email protected]

14500 Kevin Milner Suffolk CO6 [email protected] 1937 Eight Series 2 2 seater

1937 Series 1 two-seater What’s it Worth?

dvertised on the Car and Classic website, the vendor states: A"Morris 8 2 seater sport. Great little project car. All brakes done with new brake hoses and good linings, etc. New plugs, points, coil, plug leads and distributor cap so starts and drives. Exhaust blowingat front pipe. Chassis very sound, never been welded. All tyres blow up and car rolls great. Offside wings have been galvanised, all other wings and panels very sound except bottom of door may need repair. hood and side screens on car. Spare honeycomb grille, and front and rear bumpers loose with car. No paperwork with car but reg number on rear. This is a time warp car which has been off the road for years. It will make a good little Morris when restored. What you see is what you get. Needs to be trailered away as not roadworthy. Answer on Page 46

5 Federation Feedback FBHVC REP Calling ALL British Marques Clubs and owners of British Classics! Stuart King Come and be part of BRITISH MARQUES DAY at BROOKLANDS MUSEUM

BREXIT CHECKLIST (issued as an FBHVC press releae) he Federation recognises that you might be considering taking your historic vehicle across the Channel, or into the th TRepublic of Ireland, this year. SUNDAY 28 APRIL You might be concerned about what will be different if the UK should leave the EU on 29 March 2019 without any deal having been achieved 10AM In anything concerning this subject, in the first instance you should consult Government websites. As departments - develop their plans, information is posted online on a regular basis. PM The following are areas which the Federation considers you should think about if you are intending to travel, either as a 5 driver or passenger. • You should consider your insurance, both vehicle and personal. o The Insurance Directive will cease to be effective and there could be changes to how claims would be dealt with. Ask your motor insurer. o You may require a Green Card to visit EU countries, and not all EU countries accept the same Green Card. Your motor insurer should know the various rules. o Your European Health Insurance Card will no longer be of any effect. Thus you should consider establishing that your insurance cover includes full health insurance, including, if required, cover against the occurrence of existing medical conditions. • You may need any driver to acquire an International Driving Permit • You will require to show a separate GB plate even if your vehicle is identified as being registered in the UK by the EU ‘GB’ number plate. • The Roadworthiness Testing Directive will no longer apply. You may wish to submit your vehicle to an MOT test, even if it is exempt, so that you will be in possession of evidence that the vehicle has passed a roadworthiness test if local law enforcement requests. • Not all local Low Emission Zones currently exempt historic vehicles. There may be some which exempt only historic vehicles from the EU. You will need to check locally.

This advice must not be regarded as complete or accurate; it is offered only as a useful checklist. If you have specific questions, we will try to help, but in the current uncertainty, we will not necessarily know the answer. MARQUES Registrar’s Ramblings VEHICLE REGISTRAR Mike Brears DAY t was mentioned to me a few days ago that following my request in February’s edition of this magazine for the current Ilocation of a quite long list of Morrises, that I had omitted to include my contact details. Now it hadn’t occurred to me that members would not know how to get hold of me. A quick search of the club’s website does throw up the necessary details, but you have to know where to look for it and it can only be found if you have access to the members' area. My detailsm or at least a link for the email address are at http://morrisregister.co.uk/national-committee/, then click on the link opposite my name. This also goes for any other member of the National Committee. The other source for national and regional committee members is the Club Directory and Handbook, again its only available to members. http://www.morrisregister.co.uk/members/file/Morris%20Register%20Directory%20OCT17.pdf. This edition is a little out of date, but I understand a new edition is being prepared now. Unfortunately for those who don’t have access to the internet the only way to get a copy is to ring the the inforamtion centre or the national secretary or your local secretary. Their contact details can be found in this excellent magazine. All of which brings me to the main point of this month’s Ramblings – communication and my request to you to let me know any changes to the vehicles you own. Bought; Sold; Back on the Road; Taken off the Road; Restored or whatever, because the problem I face is that without that information the data that I look after can become almost worthless if it’s not accurate. By the way, about half of the vehicles I listed in February went to auction and so far, only one has resurfaced within the club. On a lighter subject, for those members in the Kent, East Kent area who are looking for a day out I am organising a * run to coincide with Drive-itiDay on 28th April. The East Kent Maynot Run is scheduled to start from Gibson’s Farm TEST HILL ASCENTS • CLUB DISPLAYS Shop, Crockshard Lane, Wingham, near Canterbury, CT3 1NY and finish at the Elham Valley Line Trust at Peene near Club spaces available in ADVANCE - WWW.BROOKLANDSMUSEUM.COM Folkestone. If any local or not so local members wish to take part, please let me have your details. I can be reached at call 01932 857381 or email BROOKLANDS MUSEUM, BROOKLANDS ROAD, [email protected] or by phone on 07973 384 291. [email protected] WEYBRIDGE, SURREY KT13 0QN (APPLICATIONS IN BY 8TH APRIL PLEASE) *TEST HILL SPACES LIMITED, BOOK ON ARRIVAL. PRE-BOOKING FORMS ON THE WEBSITE NORMAL MUSEUM ADMISSION CHARGES APPLY SUBJECT TO WEATHER AND TRACK CONDITIONS

6 Calling ALL British Marques Clubs and owners of British Classics! Come and be part of BRITISH MARQUES DAY at BROOKLANDS MUSEUM SUNDAY 28th APRIL 10AM - 5PM

MARQUES DAY

TEST HILL ASCENTS* • CLUB DISPLAYS Club spaces available in ADVANCE - WWW.BROOKLANDSMUSEUM.COM call 01932 857381 or email BROOKLANDS MUSEUM, BROOKLANDS ROAD, [email protected] WEYBRIDGE, SURREY KT13 0QN (APPLICATIONS IN BY 8TH APRIL PLEASE) *TEST HILL SPACES LIMITED, BOOK ON ARRIVAL. PRE-BOOKING FORMS ON THE WEBSITE NORMAL MUSEUM ADMISSION CHARGES APPLY SUBJECT TO WEATHER AND TRACK CONDITIONS

7 Feb on the Forum Forum Files Bob Williams

post from Nick: 1934 Morris 10/6 Cunard Special camshaft. “I’m in the final stages of getting my 1934 Morris A 10/6 Cunard Special back on the road. It’s at rolling chassis stage but powered by a single carb 10/6 engine at the moment. It did not have the original twin carb/high-lift cam engine. I have a spare 10/6 engine and the twin carbs on the correct inlet/exhaust manifold. What I do not have is the correct camshaft. One of the larger camshaft manufacturers could not find any reference to this camshaft in their archives but could manufacture one by measuring and preparing drawings to work from... but, before I take this route, does anyone have information on the technical specification for this cam or even know the whereabouts of one?” Brian: “Camshafts are very tricky things to make. Getting the lobes with the correct profile is very difficult. I spent a lot of time checking camshafts after complaints and found the lobes incorrect by several thousands of an inch requiring a regrind by a computerised grinder.” Klaus: “I own a 1934 Ten Six 2-seater with a standard RA type engine. I recently came across a picture which shows a twin-carb engine from a 1934 10/6 Special Sports. Comparing pictures of both I noticed that the exhaust manifolds look different on both engines, too. It looks as if the inlet and exhaust ports were swapped between both models. The port on the very left (1st port of cylinder #1) looks like it’s an inlet port on the standard engine whereas on the Special Sports it appears to be an exhaust port. If this is valid then camshafts will be quite different as well I suppose.” Klaus attached photos of his and the Sports engine. Klaus then posted “Some photos of your Cunard would be very interesting Nick. Is this yours by any chance? This car was sold at an auction fairly recently...” Frank: “What a fantastic looking car AVR645 is Klaus. If I let my heart rule my head I would end up like a certain person who lives up north who has his own private museum. Fantastic picture. Where was the auction? Any details on where the car has gone?” Keith: “Have you tried contacting other 10/6 owners directly? They are the people most likely to be able to help and advise you. Remember that not all owners use this forum.” Jeff: “As Keith has alluded to, look at page 21 of the February Morris Monthly – Editor’s Note: only about 25% of Register members access the Forum. Unfortunately as you’re probably aware, the members' register linking members' address/email details and the models of car they own has been temporarily disabled following the introduction of GDPR regulations. Perhaps you should consider a request for information in the ‘Letters to the Editor’ page in Morris Monthly. Page 31 and 32 of the Morris Vehicle Database list all 10/6 cars known to the Register including Cunard and Special Six which appear to total around 26 – some cars listed may of course have been owned by past members and some appear from their registrations to be overseas members. Back in 2011 AVR 645 was owned by a Register member. I believe both the car and auction was mentioned in Morris Monthly recently – I’ve a feeling the car went to France but I could be wrong.” Klaus again: “Ask Ian Harris, [email protected], he deals in pre-war Morris parts and has a 10/6 Cunard special, too.” Nick replied and included a photo of his car. “Thanks for all the information in this and other replies. I will now post queries in other places as suggested and contact others as suggested. Yes, AVR 645 is my Cunard, bought at Anglia Car Auctions in 2017. Image shows how it looks today. Just about ready for ivory paint to go onto alloy tub, wings will be black in keeping with how it left the paint shop in 1934. Currently attempting to find out what “ivory” it would have been – it’s a never ending passion!” Finally, Frank with an interesting idea: “Nick you jammy man that’s lovely. I think that all members that have a cylinder engine should meet up at least once a year so we can drool over how good the engine looks, sounds or smells. What fun that would be.” All advice is useful, you make up your own mind which to follow. I have included Peter’s post: Access to instruments, as I suspect it may contain useful advice for members who do not look at the Forum. “Am I right in thinking that the only access to the rear of the instrument panel is by removing the full width lower fibre board cover?” Grumpyjohn: “If you are referring to Morris Eights then the instrument panel is held in by three screws. The lower screw is fitted with a loose spacer so care must be taken not to drop it. With the battery, choke, starter and wind out throttle control disconnected the instrument panel can be eased back when these screws are removed to give access to the instrument rears. On my 8 the bottom screw on the instrument panel has a loose nut to hold it so I have to remove the two 8 metal strips each side and ease the fibre board down in the middle to get access to the nut but this may be because the captivated nut is missing?” Simon: “Which car Peter? If a 37 Eight like mine, you can get limited access by undoing the 3 screws that hold the central instrument panel in, subject to how well/sympathetically the wiring has been done and if the speedo cable is routed correctly. However, I have found that the best, quickest and easiest way is to remove the left and right glove box lower braces, 3 screws each and then let the under dash board drop. Access is cr@p at the best of times, even with slender hands. If you want it EASY; undo the choke, starter and ‘T’ idle cables from the engine bay and it all becomes easily accessible. If rewiring, make sure you give yourself plenty of play/slack behind the dash – you will be pleased for this in the future.” Back to Peter: “Thanks for the advice. Yes the car is a ’37 M8. I’ve been used to the TripleM Forum where the car details are included with every post. (that’s not a criticism by the way)” The things that catch my eye are posts that relate to something a bit different. That was the case with Andy’s post in the Adverts Forum: Morris 8 engine on fire pump. “I don’t know if it’s allowed but somebody may be interested in a 1944/45 Beresford Stork fire pump for sale on Facebook Marketplace which is powered by a Morris 8 engine.” Jeff attached a photo from the advert (top right) plus another photo (middle right). “Presumably this one Andy? It doesn’t look like a Morris 8 engine to me. After a bit more research, it’s actually an industrial version of the Austin 8 engine. The other photo is a close up of a similar 1940 Beresford Stork Fire Pump sold at a Brightwell’s Auction for £350.” Back to Andy: “Thanks for that, I’m still learning about home-grown cars! I’ve sent the chap a message telling him it’s an Austin 8.” Mike: “I have a Sigmund fire pump powered by a Morris 8 Series E engine, from new, had it for years and really must strip it down. Removed the tappet cover only and it appears new and unused! Interestingly it is crank start only with a magneto in place of the normal distributor. Unfortunately the flywheel has no starter ring. 25 years before it was passed to me, along with the previous owner, I tried to start it but failed, unfortunately it was then stored in the open until I received it. I was so lucky to get it, the owner had another larger and heavier one that sat alongside it in his field, it was stolen, probably with a Hiab leaning over his boundary fence! There was an identical one in Scotland, Harry Edwards sent me a photo of it, these are the only two I have come across. The fellow I had it from has a 1971 forward control Land Rover fire engine, it had belonged to John Player's, bought off them out of service with 6000 mile on the clock, back in about 1985.” In the February addition of Morris Monthly I had included a photo of Frank’s Isis which had been included in a post dated Oct 2018 that showed his car with newly purchased wings. He brought us up to date in has post: A coat of paint. “You may remember I put a post on last year showing the new wings I got for the Isis from Vintage Wings Manchester. Well they are now all painted up and fitted back on the car again and I think looking really well, and that’s all that matters really.” (Photo right). Keith: “Looking good Frank. Will it be finished for Thoresby?" Back to Frank: “I don’t have a finishing date, Keith. It will be done when I’ve finished it. I’m not rushing it. I keep finding bits to bolt back on it and think they will have to be re-chromed and it’s a five week wait for them coming back again. As much as I’d like to have it on the road I’d rather have it done properly.” To the many who do not view the Forum, why not log on? You might find it interesting and helpful. Bob Williams ([email protected]) EDITOR’S NOTE: Any member intending to act upon advice given in the Forum or to use any products or services mentioned, is strongly recommended to read the Morris Register disclaimer at the top of page 3 of Morris Monthly. 9 Items of interest Exactly Eighty from The Morris Owner magazine, April 1939

o you maintain Dthe clearances recommended in the manual religiously? Upon them largely depends the difference between good and not- so-good running.

N an endeavour to provide a ready reference to the matter once it is appreciated that numbers 1 and Iclearances recommended in the power unit for the 4 cylinders and numbers 2 and 3 cylinders in the owner who likes to attend to his adjustments himself, case of a four-cylinder engine work in unison, and this article has been written, for it is to be feared numbers I and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4, on a six-cylinder, that the whole subject of clearances between moving and that while the valve of number 1 is fully open, parts is not studied so seriously by the average man the corresponding valve of the other cylinder is fully as it should be. closed, no difficulty will be encountered in being sure Take the question of tappet adjustment, do owners, of this, as it is only requisite to rotate the engine by even those with some years' driving experience, the starting handle until the valve belonging to the recognise that with the ultra-efficient engine in use other cylinder paired with it is fully opened. today, only .001 in. error in the setting will affect the How to Find Position running? It means one degree difference in the valve To minimise the number of turns of the engine a timing, which is appreciable. Any sluggishness in definite sequence should be followed, as indicated in acceleration or power should accordingly be followed the following tables:- up by a check on the tappets, and do not think it is FOUR-CYLINDER ENGINES practicable to improve on the setting, for there is only Set No.1 tappet or rocker with No. 8 valve fully open. one correct clearance, that specified by the makers " " 3 " " " " " 6 " " " foryour particular model. " " 5 " " " " " 4 " " " Cam Contour Changes " " 2 " " " " " 7 " " " In this respect, not infrequently, an old driver " " 8 " " " " " 1 " " " questions the necessity for the clearance of .019 in., " " 6 " " " " " 3 " " " recalling that .004 in./.006 in. was recommended " " 4 " " " " " 5 " " " some years ago. Admittedly such a clearance is " " 7 " " " " " 2 " " " considerably greater than was normally the practice, In the case of six-cylinder engines we shall have but cam contours have been specially developed, a total of twelve valves to deal with, and it is more and no improvement either in performance or silence than ever desirable that the setting be carried out would be achieved by reducing the tolerance. methodically in an orderly sequence. Rather it is probable that harm will result, for if a valve SIX-CYLINDER ENGINES is prevented from maintaining contact with its seat Set No.1 tappet or rocker with No. 12 valve fully open. for the proper period, the heat from the combustion " " 6 " " " " " 6 " " " cannot disperse by conduction through the water- " " 9 " " " " " 4 " " " cooled valve pocket, and the valve face will suffer " " 11 " " " " " 2 " " " damage — resulting in burning out. Furthermore, " " 5 " " " " " 8 " " " the heat will pass down the valve stem and carbonise " " 3 " " " " " 10 " " " the lubricating oil, causing the valves to stick in their " " 12 " " " " " 1 " " " guides. " " 7 " " " " " 6 " " " The art of setting tappets properly is to make certain " " 4 " " " " " 9 " " " that the individual tappet being operated upon is in " " 2 " " " " " 11 " " " contact with the back of the cam. This is a simple " " 8 " " " " " 5 " " " " " 10 " " " " " 3 " " " A small brass plate It will be observed that on a four-cylinder engine giving the correct the sum of the tappet being set and the valve clearance will be corresponding equals nine, and similarly for a six- found on the valve cylinder engine thirteen, quite easy figures to be covers of some models memorised. 10 1932, had an O.H.V. engine, and the tappet setting was accomplished by slackening the steel lock nut on the valve rocker with one spanner, and with the other turning the hexagon-headed bronze bush very gently until the correct setting was obtained, the lock nut subsequently being tightened up again. Owners of 1935 Twenty-five-Six models, and the 1933. 1934 and 1935 Oxfords will notice a flat on the body of the tappet which is to permit a spanner to be used when the lock nut or head is turned. O.H .V. Models Adjustment on the present O.H.V. engines, as also on the Isis, is accomplished by loosening the lock nut with a spanner and moving the adjusting screw Setting the adjustment of a side-valve engine with the with a screwdriver; afterwards, naturally, the lock three spanners provided in the tool kit nut is secured. In passing it might be mentioned that subsequent to having the engine decarbonised and No. 1 tappet or rocker is that nearest the radiator. the valves ground-in, as also with a new car, it is The clearances vary with the several types of engines. most advisable to check up the tappet clearances, as On the older Morris-Oxford and Cowley .004 in. was valves have a tendency to "bed down", and this will allowed, but for 1933 models .019 in. is required on reduce the working tolerance. the Tens, 25/6, and some Minors, Perhaps after attention to the tappets the next whilst the Cowley-Six and Major call for .006 in. important "clearance" to check in tuning-up is that inlet and .008 in. for the exhaust. In 1934 and 1935 of the sparking plug points. The gap, ascertained by with the exception of the Minor engine (.004 in.), the means of a gauge, should be .020/.022 in. with coil Cowley-Six (.008 in.) and the Isis (.003 in.) the tappet ignition, or .018 in. for a magneto. clearance was standardised at .019 in. Too wide a gap will cause misfiring, especially at Series Side-Valves high speed and under load at low speeds with a wide With the Series type side-valve engines the same throttle opening, whilst it will be impossible to get the clearance of .019 in. remains and is also used on the engine to idle evenly with an inadequate gap. When Series "M" Ten, and the latest Series III Twelve. The adjusting the gap never move the central electrode, "E" Eight has .017 in., while the current six-cylinder but the point, or points, attached to 'the body. O.H.V. engines and first type Series III Twelve have It is essential that all the sparking plugs should .015 in. All recent engines have the clearance for the be adjusted to precisely the same gap. On the tappets stamped on a brass plate fixed to the tappet modern high compression engine intense stresses cover. The clearances given are for the engine when are imposed, often under adverse conditions, warm. and sparking plugs must gradually deteriorate. As to the method of adjusting the tappets — the Inefficient functioning of the sparking plug means tappet cover must, of course, first be removed. In the tool kit of the car fitted with the side-valve type engine will be discovered two single-ended ¼ in. 3 spanners (Minors have ¼ in. and /16 in. spanners), and these are all that are required, together with a feeler gauge. After setting the engine as described, the lock nut is slackened off, the tappet head is then rotated while the body is held securely with the other spanner until the clearance is obtained — a check being made with a feeler gauge. The feeler should be a sliding fit. After being satisfied that the tolerance is in order, the lock nut can be tightened up, using both spanners, the one holding the head and the other turning the lock nut. A second check is advised after securing the lock nut. On Morris Oxford Sixes up to 1933, Majors and 1933 Tens, spring locating plungers were used to prevent the tappets rotating. Therefore, to avoid any risk of damage, care should be exercised in placing equal pressure on the two spanners when operating the lock nut. O.H.V. Procedure Overhead camshaft engines are really simpler to deal with in the way of tappet adjustment, although they certainly look somewhat complicated at first sight. Using feeler gauges to establish the correct clearances The first Minors, followed by the Family Eight in In (above) a modern side-valve model, and (left) an overhead camshaft engine 11 incomplete combustion in the cylinders contact screw with the hexagon head of the engine and unburnt gas will pass until the gap between the contacts is set out of the exhaust. In this event, the full to the thickness of the gauge attached to heat value of the fuel is not utilised and the spanner, viz. .012 in. Then tighten as a result power is lost, and the petrol up the lock nut firmly. consumption will increase owing to the Clutch Clearance wastage. Having satisfied ourselves regarding the The life of a sparking plug cannot be engine, tappets, sparking plugs, and indicated by a definite mileage, so ignition, the care of the much depending upon the conditions clutch must not be forgotten, for of service, besides the attention paid slip will not only impair the engine to maintenance; but old plugs should performance but very soon lead to be discarded and a new set may be serious trouble. With the exception of Using a simple dial considered a good investment. In indicating instrument in the Minor, Eight, Series III Twelve, and buying replacement plugs, remember to ascertaining the clearance Series "M" Ten models, all Morris cats select a type approved for the particular of an o.h.v. push-rod type employ a cork insert clutch running engine by the makers you of valve gear in oil, and the friction surfaces last favour. almost indefinitely, besides requiring Ignition Setting the minimum attention despite the A good spark at the plugs cannot be considerable use to which a clutch is expected if the distributor or magneto subjected. It is essential, nevertheless, is out of adjustment, so that an to make sure that the clutch pedal is 3 examination of the make and break always /8 in. or preferably in. clear of the mechanism is essential. The contact footboard when the clutch is driving on breaker gap with coil ignition must be cars up to 1933, while on later models .012 in. for the DK type, or .017 in. with the clearance indicated on the brass the earlier DJ pattern. To check, turn plate situated near the pedal should be the engine until the contacts are fully maintained between the arm and the Plug gaps should preferably be open. Insert the feeler gauge provided set with the appropriate gauge forward stop in addition. on the ignition screwdriver between Attention becomes necessary the contacts, and if the gap is because the constant use of correct, the gauge should be a the clutch has a tendency to sliding fit. To make the adjustment, consolidate the cork inserts, and keep the engine in the position to this has the effect of allowing the give the maximum opening of the pressure plate to take up a position contacts, and with the DK type nearer to the fly- distributor slacken the two screws wheel. As this plate is connected securing the contact plate until the with the withdrawal plate can just be moved. mechanism attached to the pedal, Move the plate, using the The contact breaker points of the a corresponding movement occurs screwdriver as a lever, until the distributor need to be checked for correct on the pedal itself, causing it to gap is set to the thickness of the opening occasionally move backwards into the interior gauge. The setting on the DJ of the car. The pedal may move to pattern is effected in a similar such a degree that it bears hard manner to that on a magneto, against the floorboard or stop, described later, using the thus the spring pressure will be spanner provided. Tighten the dissipated and .a tendency to screws after the adjustment. slip arise. This pressure would Variation of the gap setting is be tantamount to driving with usually caused by undue wear of the foot pressed on the pedal the contact breaker heel, due to — a habit which cannot be too lack of lubrication. To counteract severely deprecated. this, give the cam and the pivot on Adjustment of the "dry" type of which the contact breaker works clutch consists of maintaining a smear of vaseline or Duckham's a clearance between the thrust "Laminoid" grease, say, about bearing and the release lever every 3000 or 4000 miles. On a plate, the minimum clearance magneto the adjustment of the between this plate and the face contact points is accomplished of the thrust bearing being yr by turning the engine round in., which gives a free movement slowly until the points are seen of in. at the clutch pedal. Need to be fully open, then, using the for adjustment of the forward magneto spanner, slacken the Dry clutches must always have the stop will be demonstrated by a lock nut and rotate the fixed recomm e n d e d amount of clearance, tendency for the engine to stall indicated by the white arrow 12 when the clutch pedal is pressed fully forward. contained in the manual, which clearly shows the For further particulars of this clutch adjustment required clearance, and it is felt that a detailed reference should be made to the appropriate car explanation is somewhat outside the scope of the operation manual. present article. Automatic Clutches The periodical attention to the adjustments described On cars equipped with the Bendix automatic will well repay the time taken by maintaining the car clutch control, adjustment will only be necessary in first-class condition, besides, perhaps, avoiding at infrequent intervals. Whilst this is by no means the risk of a troublesome stoppage on the road. Even beyond the capabilities of an experienced owner- should the reader be disinclined to attempt "tuning" driver, it requires careful study of the particulars himself, he will at least be au fait with the procedure. A CENTURY OF The story of the machines which trim LAWN MOWERS our lawns and tennis courts IT has been said that the possession of of certain machinery including a machines under the Worthington a car engenders neglect of the garden. machine which was used for shearing patents, and they are in use on nearly In the early days of motoring, when the nap off cloth. Budding conceived all the golf links and many aerodromes the maintenance of a car implied a the idea of using this principle in a in Great Britain and Ireland. They definite call upon the Leisure of the machine for cutting grass, and in his are supplied as one, three, five, head of the house, there was some original Patent specification he says: seven, nine and eleven units. The justification for the assertion. "Country gentlemen will find in using triple machine is within the power of Of recent years, however, the my machine an amusing, useful and one horse. The larger sizes are very motorist-gardener has found that healthful exercise." advantageously used with a tractor, the petrol engine has enabled him Considering that his original machine the septuple machine being capable of to make the most of his time in the was 19 in. in width, and that the cutting 50-60 acres per day, having a garden, and the motor mower which is gearing was perhaps inferior to what cut 16 ft. wide. now available at a relatively moderate is now provided in the household Ransomes were not only the pioneers price obviously makes a direct appeal mangle, it is an open question as of the petrol motor mower; they were to him. It is interesting to note that to whether the exercise was as the first to introduce electric lawn Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd., one amusing as he imagined. Anyhow, mowers. of the oldest concerns in the lawn Budding's was the commencement of There is much to justify reference to a mower industry, can claim to be the an important industry now grown to brief survey of the lawn mower section pioneers of the motor mower, and huge dimensions. of Orwell Works, where Ransomes' the notes they have supplied on the Messrs. Ransomes came into the lawn lawn mowers are manufactured. evolution of the lawn mower will, we mower trade in 1832, and obtained a The Ransomes machines which the are sure, be interesting to all. licence from Budding to manufacture ironmonger handles are being turned Before the Mower machines according to his patent, out in a Works ranking as one of the Prior to the introduction of lawn under royalty. Some years ago most up-to-date in the world. mowers, grass lawns were cut with Ransomes presented one of their first Practically every part of Ransomes' a scythe. This was naturally a long "Budding" machines to the Science mowers is made at the Orwell Works, and tedious process. It required Museum, Kensington, and they also but this new section is not concerned considerable skill, and to-day there are have one at Ipswich. with the casting, forging, stamping very few men who would undertake to In 1893 the Leyland Co. brought out and wood-working that precede the produce in this way the smooth even a machine driven by steam power actual building of the machine: surface which is required for sports (Summers) and several were sold. The unfinished parts are sent from purposes. About 1899 the late Mr. J. E. Ransome, the various departments of the Works The idea of producing a mower to of the Orwell Works, saw that the to the lawn mower section, there to be cut grass lawns appears to have first internal combustion engine was the stored away on hundreds of shelves. occurred to a Mr. Edwin Budding, most suitable unit for making lawn In the motor mower department of Stroud, Gloucestershire, who, mowers self propelled, and under his probably the most interesting section in October, 1830, took out the direction Messrs. Ransomes started a is the row of finished machines first patent in this country for a series of experiments which resulted undergoing their running tests, machine of this character. In his in their producing the first petrol- mounted on blocks to give them capacity as engineer in Mr. Lister's motor-driven lawn mower in 1902. freedom of movement. Villiers engines textile factory, Budding had charge Motor mowers have been altered, are fitted to the two- machines, improved and varied since then, and but Ransomes build their own four- A modern motor now all types are available from 42 in. stroke engines. mower with a four- down to 14 in. in the width of cut. stroke engine In 1914 a patent of considerable One of the importance was taken out by Mr. original "Budding" Worthington, of Shawnee, U.S.A., machines — the for linking together a number of side first lawn mower wheel mowers in a frame and using of about 1832 them as a complete unit. This principle has had a very brilliant success, and on large areas, golf links, etc., has accomplished splendid work at a low cost such as is not practicable with other methods. Messrs. Ransomes originally manufactured these 13 YELLOW HEADLIGHTS IN FRANCE 'ITH an increasing number of British motorists Wvisiting France every year, some advice from the Royal Automobile Club regarding the use of headlights in that country is timely. LANDMARKS IN TIME AND TRANSPORT 1 — A Morris It is not perhaps generally known that the law in Eight (1938), with a 1906 Albion which took part in France requires the rays from the headlamps of all the Empire Exhibition Old Crock' Run organised by French cars to be yellow. Cars belonging to foreigners the Royal Scottish A.C. on a temporary visit are, however, exempt from this regulation. Unfortunately, the nationality of a car cannot HONEST DANES be distinguished by approaching traffic, particularly 'HE theft of a car is almost unknown in at night, and instances have been recorded of lorry TDenmark — one of the most honest countries drivers in France driving their lorries straight at cars in the world. And it is no unusual thing to see showing white headlights. Motorists intending to visit one of the hordes of bicycles left by the roadside France therefore may find it advisable to see that their looking the worse for an encounter with a car headlamp glasses are suitably coloured. during its owner's absence, but always it will bear the motorist's apology, his name and AT LONG LAST address and expression of willingness to pay for 'EWS that Western Avenue — one of London's the accident. Nchief outlets to the West — is now to be completed exemplifies once again how leisurely improvement in our road system moves forward. A GREATER NORTH ROAD This road has been in construction for years. As far HINT that in the not very distant future the back as 1913 it was officially recognised as an urgent AGreat North Road will be a modern dual- scheme. It was actually begun in 1920, but stopped track highway, with cycle tracks and footpaths, for ten years at Greenford, when the Road Fund was emerged from a speech by Mr. J. F. A. Baker, first raided to bolster up the unconsidered extravagance who is an Engineering Inspector, Roads Dept., of the spending departments of the day. It managed Ministry of Transport, in recently. to reach Uxbridge in 1937, but terminated there for a He also said: "It is proposed to widen some 60% further year. of the existing roads and to substitute new roads The final section — on which work is expected to begin for the remaining 40%. This will entail some 106 very soon — is a 1½-mile stretch from Uxbridge to the by-passes, varying in length from fourteen miles Oxford road near Denham. to one-eighth of a mile." In the Eastern Division work to the value of £1,000,000 would shortly be put in hand. By the end of the financial year it was hoped to add another £2,000,000.

PAINTED PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS — A Sutton Goldfield experiment, In which crossings are coloured a brilliant LANDMARKS IN TIME AND TRANSPORT 2 — yellow, rendering them easily distinguishable, promises Stephenson's "Invicta" (1830) in the Dane John, to be successful. The car is a 25 h.p. Wolseley drop-head at Canterbury, receives a visit from a Morris Eight coupe. (1938) 14 RUNNING HINTS IN PICTURES No. 86 For the new owner: fitting a new cover 1. — It will be found convenient to lay the wheel on a batten to raise one side off the ground. Then push the farther edge of cover over the edge of the rim and pull it right down into the well base. The nearer edge can then be easily slipped on

2 1

2. — Lay the slightly inflated tube in position on the wheel with the valve in line with the hole in the rim. Push tyre lever over both edges of rim, and lift them well away

3. — Then insert the valve and tube, taking great care not to pinch or twist the latter

3

4. — Now insert the lower edge of the second side of the cover on the opposite 4 side to the valve, feeling on it to keep it well into the well base

5. — Push the edge into the rim all round, working gradually away from you from the nearest portion, finishing towards the valve position. The last few inches of the circumference can then be easily levered into place. Again take great care that no portions of the tube are trapped. The tyre can now be 5 Inflated (making sure from time to time that the cover is seating well at the edges)

The complete edition of The Morris Owner for April 1939 is available as a pdf on the website. Other items of interest include: • Are All Your Lamps Set Correctly? • When Do You Sound Your Horn? • Exotic Traffic Cops

15 he Morris Commercial ‘H’ Type ‘Dictator’ passenger chassis was a radical departure from earlier designs from the company, Tbut it ultimately proved to be commercially unsuccessful. It was designed by Charles Edwards soon after he had joined the company as Chief Designer in 1929. A 7-litre 6-cylinder petrol engine was used and a number of ingenious and innovative details were incorporated, ease of maintenance being a key feature. The whole engine, radiator and front axle assembly, could be removed by four men wheeling it out on a special skid without dismantling any of the chassis frame other than the front cross-member. It could be that the innovations put traditional and conservative bus operators off this model. The 1931 example here was a demonstrator for the Morris London distributor - Stewart & Ardern Ltd. A 1931 utilitarian ‘£100’ Morris Minor two-seater with a 847cc side-valve engine, is presumably posed beside the bus to show the ‘largest and smallest’ Morris vehicles together. Like the Dictator, this car had disappointing sales and a less austere version with a very pretty chome radiator and magna wheels replaced it in October 1931 - 9 months after its introduction - still for £100. [Ken Martin’s Collection]

he Standard ‘Flying Eight’ Drophead Coupé was introduced in late T1939. It has a 1-litre 4-cylinder side-valve engine and independent front suspension via a transverse leaf spring, but only three gears. The rival Morris Eight Series ‘E’ is a better-looking car and it has a 4-speed gearbox. [Motor Sport Images – Autocar Print 28-04-39 P711]

16 wo white-liveried Clarkson steam buses are shown in Coggeshall Essex on 8th April 1914. Thomas Clarkson was an innovative Tdesigner and builder of commercial steam vehicles and he is best known for this type of bus, which were built at his Moulsham Works in Chelmsford, Essex. He sold steam buses to operators across , but his most successful years were when he operated his buses himself under the fleet name ‘National’; an abbreviation of his company – the National Steam Car Company Ltd. In 1913 there were over 170 of his steam buses serving London. He also took over the local Essex services formerly run by the Great Eastern Railway. The steam was generated in a ‘flash’ water-tube boiler with a superheater and was generally fired by paraffin, but some coke fired units were used. Sufficient steam pressure to move the bus could be raised after just five minutes from cold. The two-cylinder engine gave smooth starting and quiet running and outstanding hill-climbing, without the need for any gear changing. The condenser at the front helped ensure that 60 miles could be covered between water stops. Electric lighting was provided inside the bus from a steam engine driven dynamo, when petrol engined vehicles were still using oil lamps. [Ken Martin’s Collection]

homas TClarkson retired when his steam buses were withdrawn in the very early 1920s in favour of petrol engined buses. The company closed down its London business and reformed as the highly successful National Omnibus & Transport Company Ltd. There is a Morris connection with Clarkson: he is seen here in his 1927 Morris Oxford. [Harry Edwards’ Archive]

Some photographs appear with thanks to MOTOR SPORT IMAGES. For further information concerning copies or the reproduction of any images thus attributed, please send an email enquiry to [email protected] mentioning Morris Monthly with the image reference number. Important notice: Images may have been cropped and subject to digital enhancement here and hence differ from those supplied by Motor Sport Images. 17 JO 764 £100 Morris Minor prototype [LATplate Red 9058] his month I have asked our editor to re-print an article first published in the Spring 1992 edition of The Journal. TWritten by Harry Edwards, his topic was the S.V. Morris Minor prototype JO 764. The car was long believed to have been lost but had been re-discovered in a Devon theme park. His article makes for fascinating reading and underlines the car’s importance. To the writer’s knowledge its current status remains largely unchanged. (See also this month’s letters.) JO.764 - A MYSTERY WITH SOME OF THE ANSWERS By Harry Edwards On display at a Devon Farm museum called The Milky Way can be seen what would appear to be a 1932 model Morris Minor Two Seater. In itself this is not a startling revelation, that is until the knowledgeable visitor notes the late 1930 Oxford registration number 'J0.764'. Even more surprising Is that JO.764 was issued to Ltd and used on the first preproduction prototype of the £100 aide valve Morris Minor and featured in contemporary Road Tests of the new model for the 1931 season. A curiosity that required a little further research, with the following results. The prototype of the side Above: The first photograph of the S.V. Minor prototype taken on valve Minor was built during December 1930 and the the 9th December 1930 with Sir William Morris at the wheel. At this first production model was road tested during the stage the round Lucas mirror and the blank number plates have first week in January 1931. Versus contemporary not been fitted The headlamps also appear to have been changed later. motoring magazines published details of the new Below: Morris publicity photographs of the new £100 S.V. £100 Two-seater using photographs which were MorrisMinor, taken of Me prototype on 18th December 1930 before no doubt of this early, unregistered, prototype. An being fitted with J0.784 number plates.

18 early public view of the s.v. Minor was a surprise appearance at a New Year party held for Stewart & Ardern employees where, on the stroke of midnight, they The prototype SV Minor with its newly acquired wheeled onto the ballroom floor number plates a gleaming new grey finished two-seater. Perhaps 'gleaming' is the wrong word to describe the new model where all the external bright parts, except the door handles, were paint finished in black. By January 1931 announcements of the new Morris Minor were being accompanied Side Valve engine of the Minor showing the by press photographs showing curious positioning of the bottom water inlet hose- the car with the Oxfordshire suggesting the use of a radiator from the O.H.V. J0.764 registration number, Minor which has the hose connection on the near-side. issued to Morris Motors Ltd., Cowley, on the 11th December 1930. Subsequently the car was featured in Morris publicity films. Whether the application for the number by the makers had originally been intended for another Morris model or, having got the number, someone at Cowley decided to use it on the s.v. Minor Two-seater we will never know. Suffice to say that the original registration numbers file held at the Oxfordshire Archives in County Hall, New Road, show the vehicle allocated JO.764 to be a Minor Saloon "Interested locals In Abingdon market square" said the photograph caption - but was finished in blue. We may never the car superimposed? know the answer to that one. It is known that once the publicity died down the vehicle was retained at Cowley as an Experimental

Above: Today JO.764 joins farm machinery on display at Downland Farm Museum "The Milky Way "at Bideford In Devon.

Left: JO.763 showing the curiou updated radiator shell (Photos: W.J. Roberts)

19 Model for a few months. It was customary for Morris to waste nothing and this Minor was no exception, by the 7th July 1931 it was rebuilt In part to the later 1932 specification and allocated the late 1931 production chassis number SV.5334, and sold as a second-hand model, still registered as JO.764. The answers we know, unfortunately, pose further questions. Was JO.764 used by the Experimental Dept when working on e preproduction model for the 1932 season? As it survives today It has 1932 style Magna wire wheels and a chromium plated version of the rectangular radiator shell simulating the 1932 version by the addition of a professionally added vertical strip but because of its origins it Is devoid of the fluted decoration below the badge. The badge Itself is the earlier round type and the car retains its gravity feed petrol tank. The Morris Motors Ltd. identification plate carries, as would be expected, 'Type.MM8', the later chassis number 'SV.5334', and an engine number 'u.747.A'. However the log book still carries what was presumably the chassis number given by Morris Motors Ltd In late 1930 as 'KX.111230' and engine number 'B3'. It is known that Morris used the prefix 'EX to chassis used by the Experiment Dept and as the surviving log book is a continuation book It Is more than likely a misprint was made when the later copy of the book was issued. Consider that number again. 'EX.111230' is the data that J0.764 was first registered, 11th December 1930! Of the car's history after it was sold by Morris Motors Ltd secondhand in July 1931, nothing Is known. Was it sold to a Morns employee? Certain parts now to be found on JO.764 have obviously been added or substituted In later years, for example the Armstrong hydraulic shock-absorbers which were not available In 1931, curious ventilators on the scuttle sides, and larger headlamps (probably Morris Eight type) In conjunction with a tie bar between the front wings. In 1966 the Minor two-seater belonged to two separate owners in Exeter before going to the present owner.

(The writer acknowledges assistance given by Anders Ciausager, Archivist British Motor Industry Heritage Trust). JO 764 as photographed in Devon July 2012

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Peter Best Insurance Services Ltd Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration No. 307045 | Registered in England No. 2210270 Peter Best Insurance Services Limited, 180 High Street, Kelvedon, Essex CO5 9JD 20 Morris Eight Differential Rebuild (Part 2) Simon Hadley Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on the Forum in the Technical Articles section, but given that only about a quarter of members access the Forum, it seemed sensible to feature it, in episodes, in Morris Monthly

4. Pinion Removal Turn the whole diff in its mounting jig round in the vice and remove the split pin from the 1”A/F nut in the pinion shaft flange. You will need to lock the flange again with a bolt and bar to gain sufficient purchase to undo this very tight nut. Behind the nut is a thick chamfered washer with the chamfer facing the nut; remove this as well. Don’t forget to mark the pinion front cover plate and its casing before removing the four pinion housing nuts.

Now with a copper mallet and brass drift, very gently drift out the pinion shaft assembly forwards from the inside of the diff housing — see next sequence of pictures below. Note the shims here; these will be needed during reassembly. The complete pinion shaft assembly can now be removed.

21 Turning the whole diff and mounting jig round in the vice, the roller bearing outer race circlip can now be removed. I usually find circlips a pig to deal with, however this one has nice dog- legged ends making positioning of the flat edge of a screwdriver or long nose pliers easy to lever or grip —nicely thought-out item here. This is where I believe this strip-down as taught to me deviates from the manual. The circlip on the pinion side is easier to remove than its counterpart on the flange side, and the race is easier to drift towards the rear than towards the front end. Turn the diff and mounting jig round again in the vice, and with a brass drift and copper mallet drift out the outer bearing race. The second circlip can be left in place here as there is sufficient clearance to apply the drift. In fact the second circlip is difficult to get out, so is best just left in place.

Now clamp the pinion shaft flange in the vice as shown below. Very gently drift out the pinion assembly; no force is needed here. The shaft should now pull out from the front bearing and housing, then slide off the spacer tube between the two bearings. The pinion shaft is now stripped.

22 Time now to separate the front bearing housing. Start by marking the relationship between the two parts. Removing the two countersunk machine screws allows the front part (the cap) to be lifted off the housing.

NB: there is a thin paper gasket between the two halves of the roller bearing housing that will be need to be renewed when reassembling. On dismantaling it may not be visible; it may have persihed or disintegrated, or simply be invisible among the muck and detritus.

Now remove the front half of the split outer bearing race and lift out the double roller bearing. Next you need to drift out the rear outer bearing race from the housing. Helpfully there are two slots for drifting this race out, visible at 9 and 3 o’clock in the picture. Again, this does not require much effort and the race can be easily drited out. The second image shows the race as it drops through and out.

to be continued 23 John's Jottings John Nagle A Tale of a Ten and a Tin Hat!

which confirmed the story. Two, Mike had found that on removing the back seat he was confronted with the scene shown in the picture below! was chatting to Mike Brears, our Vehicle Registrar, last The reason for the centre section of the rear bumper being Imonth, and the conversation got round to his Ten Four stowed behind the seat was because the car had been Series 2 and his acquisition of it. fitted with a crude tow bar in place of the bumper. Mike Mike related that in May 1989 he saw an advert in “Classics speculates that this could have been to tow a “gas trailer” & Sports Car” for a 1936 Morris 10 saloon for sale in as the lady might not have had petrol coupons for essential Goudhurst Kent. It looked good in the picture and on work during the war. subsequent inspection, apart from some paintwork issues On inspection of the old tax discs and other documents it there were no significant structural problems. A deal was transpired that the vehicle had been taxed up to 1960 and done, and Mike arrived safely home in spite of a horrible then, as happened to a lot of cars, was put into storage groaning from the back axle and the steering wanting to until purchased by Mike in 1989. Fortunately the car did turn left all the time! get recorded with DVLA in 1983 so there was no problem Mike had been told when he purchased the car that it had with the registration number. been purchased new in 1936 by a Miss Chitty (I wonder Needless to say, Mike restored the Ten to good running if her boy friend was Mr Bang Bang!) of Chichester, and order and it still resides with him to this day that she had used the car up to and throughout the war It is amazing that these relics from World War Two should in connection with her voluntary work at the RAF base at have survived untouched for so long. If you have a tale Tangmere near Chichester. of anything interesting found in your Morris (girlfriends, Well that was a nice story, and was to be confirmed later by boyfriends, wives, husbands, grandmothers, and two events. One, Mike received a letter from a relative of grandfathers excluded!), please tell me the story so that we Miss Chitty who had inherited the car following her death, can share it with other members. [email protected]

Spare inner tube Bumper bar centre section

First aid kit

24 You may recall that last month I told of the delay in finishing the scuttle trim on OW4224. Well, I am still hopeful of the More debris from the job being complete before April 28th which I am sure you Drive-it-Day route of all have marked in your diary, and made suitable plans the Morris Register, boss! for Drive-it-Day. Or perhaps not. I am of the opinion that, as individuals and as a club, do not make the most of the opportunity Drive-it-Day offers for a good social day out and the chance to present our club to the population at large and to raise its profile. This year it is too late to change things, but I suggest that the National Committee and the Regions give it some thought as there is now 12 months to do something about it. As a starting point, how about some coast to coast runs as single or relay events, with a common theme promoting the club and even a Charity fund raiser thrown in as an added attraction. I for one would be glad to help. So how about it? Post Script Since writing this article I notice in the March Magazine that the Club is offering “Drive-it-Day Plaques” for your car. It would seem that I am not on my own in recognising we have been missing an opportunity to promote the club. I know I am getting old but thankfully I am not going gaga or maybe it is the atomic radiation that is doing it! You may have been puzzled about the picture of my local pub and Finally, from last month’s “MM” I note that I should contact my reference to the large notice about the price of beer. Mike Brears concerning the whereabouts of certain cars. The notice was in the picture when the copy left me, so I How I ask can the average member do this, as there is no can only assume that if our worthy editor Rob looks under directory of officials or members readily available? I feel very his desk he will probably find it has slipped down the back! strongly about the importance of good communications This is what it should have looked like: and at present we seem to be very bad at it!

Free beer tomorrow

Editor's Comment: Whilst I apologise for omitting the vital part of the pub photo and also for not adding Mike Brears' contact details to his February request for information, I do not accept that communication is difficult as many contacts can be seen every month on page 3, and if the information needed is not there, the Information Officers (0333 006 5255) are always willing to point in the right direction. It has also been made clear that GDPR issues have dictated that the club hold back on the publication of a members' list for the time being. Furthermore, the website has details of all national committee members, specialist officers and regional secretaries. So, I am happy to confirm that the Morris Register is not a secret society and if any member hasa concern/issue it should be raised through the appropriate channels, e.g via regional officers or a member of the management team. Perhaps there is a need to reiterate that the function of Morris Monthly is solely to celebrate our interest in the cars, not to provide a soapbox for negativity.

25 Regional Round Up THE RED R SE North West Region inc. N. Ireland and Isle of Man EDITOR: Tom Taylor, 01772 316 598, [email protected] SECRETARY: Neil Truslove, 01204 598 526, [email protected]

e held quite a successful North West Region AGM on March 3rd at The Shrewsbury Arms, Mickle Trafford, our Wregular Noggin venue a few miles from Chester city centre. There was no change in the Regional committee make up except for the addition of member Ken Oram from The Wirral. The number of members attending was disappointing, (nothing new there then) but the AGM was followed by our usual committee meeting and members present were invited to attend. If you would like an emailed copy of the AGM minutes and/or the minutes of the follow-on committee meeting, I am sure Secretary Neil Truslove will oblige. There was much discussion on the planned programme of events for 2019, details of which can be found in Mark James’ monthly event diary he sends to members via e-mail. One week earlier, twelve members paid a Sunday morning visit to the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry followed by a mid-afternoon Lunch at the nearby Marriott Hotel. Chairman Martin Roters tells me “The only word for it is ‘Wow!’ with everything from the remains of the original Stephenson’s Rocket to a recreation of the original computer ‘Baby’ built in 1947. Contrary to its name, it is some twenty feet long, six feet high and two feet deep. There is something for everyone, young and not so young at the museum including inter-active displays and two cafe areas. Many thanks to Mark and Sara James for organising the event. I am sure we will be making a return visit in the future.” Thank you Martin, the Rocket looks to me to be minus connecting rods and should not to be confused with the bright yellow replica most often associated with the Rocket name. A member said to me last year “It is all well and good organising weekend away events, but not everyone can take part. Why don’t you organise for members to just spend a day at a local car show and enjoy the event together?” Well, I thought it was a good idea too, so we have arranged for the Register to have a presence at the Burnley Classic Car Show on Sunday 30th June at Towneley Hall and Gardens, and a similar event one week later on 7th July at Leighton Hall near Silverdale, widely regarded as the most picturesque venue in the North West of England. Both shows will appear in Mark James’ monthly event diary. It is a pity the events are so close together, but if you would like to enter your Morris you will need to book your place at Burnley through me. You can book your own entry for Leighton Hall on-line, but do mention Morris Register when you do. Give me a call if you encounter any difficulty. Come on, join in and enjoy some Happy Morris Motoring!

Right: (L to R), Mary Roters, Alan and Jean Johnson, Martin Roters, Sara and Mark James, Neil Truslove, Anne and Martin McClarence

26 Chester Noggin Drive-it-Day Run and Lunch 28th April 2019 Meet at The Anderton Boat Lift Café on Lift Lane, Northwich, CW9 6FW from 9.30 am for an 11.15 am start. The Boat Lift car park is pay and display. The run will be about twenty miles along quiet Cheshire lanes and parts of Delamere Forest. The finish and lunch venue will be The Shrewsbury Arms at Mickle Trafford CH2 4EB. Join us just for lunch at 12.30 pm if you like. Please make your lunch booking direct with the pub on 01244 303 262 mentioning Morris Register Martin McClarence 07794 915 108 or [email protected]

Preston Noggin Drive-it-Day Run and Lunch 28th April 2019 Meet up from 10.00 am at Golden Days Garden Centre Café on Back Lane WN6 8RS between Appley Bridge and Standish just half a mile from Jct. 27 of the M6. Setting off at 11.30 am for a twenty five mile drive along quiet country lanes for lunch at The Anchor, Lostock Hall PR5 5LA. Lunch booking essential please to Martin Roters 07968 158 968 or [email protected] Join us for lunch only if you like, but it must be pre-booked.

Pasta, Pizza and Ice Cream! Sunday 5th May ‘Pesto at The Dicconson Arms’ in Wrightington, WN6 9DY Come out in your Morris and join us for an Italian Sunday Lunch followed by an optional 15 mile run to Southport for Ice Cream. Meeting up at Pesto no later than 12 noon for lunch with the option of a run to Southport afterwards. We will probably make use of the Park and Ride Hop On-Hop Off service to get into town leaving the cars under the supervision of our own volunteer stewards. You can, if you wish take a chance on finding a parking spot on the promenade. Take a look at the menu on the Pesto website, but you must book places with Mark James at [email protected] or 01254 832 316 before Friday 3rd May.

nglia Re t A g s io a n E

No.494 EDITOR: [email protected]

FROM THE CHAIR This month I have included the date of our regional AGM, which will be on Sunday 9th June. We have altered the time and place from previous years; we are now going to hold it at Great Leighs Village Hall, the usual venue for our Christmas Noggin. It doesn’t seem like a year since the last AGM! It would be great to see as many people as possible there, can I tempt you with promises of tea and cake?! Penny and I made it to the March Essex Noggin at The Duck. There was a good number of ladies and gents there, but I don’t think many Morris cars made it out of hibernation! Mike Adams 27 USHM3 ENGINE OVERHAUL ell, so far so good with this. I did completely dismantle the engine with only a couple of casualties; I managed to Wbreak the camshaft pulley and shear one of the bolts that secures the water pump blanking plate. All that is left to remove are the various studs. As I would rather not shear these off I have stopped play and ordered a cheap propane torch as I have a cylinder handy. I am sure that some heat will help… All of the engine components were seized solid. The crankshaft pulley on this engine has a couple of M6 tapped holes in it (unlike an 8 or Series E) which enabled me to make a puller to ease it off. The pistons were very stuck in the bores, but as the engine arrived with its head off I had been regularly squirting some WD40 in the vague hope it might do some good. In the end a piece of firewood down the and some hefty thumps from a club hammer got them moving without even breaking a ring. The valves and springs came out reasonably easily, but the cam followers were seized solid. It took me a little while to make an adaptor with an M6 female thread and M8 x 1.0 male thread to screw into the stuck cam followers to enable me to lift them clear of the camshaft using a piece of M6 studding down each valve guide.

ROOKE’S RAMBLES he Christmas holiday passed very quickly but any thoughts of a New Year's Day outing in the Cowley were dismissed Tas we were preparing again for our trip to the antipodes. However, Duncan and Cerys took out the two seater being the start of its ninetieth birthday year. Herewith a couple of photographs taken in Framlingham Suffolk. One shows the car neatly parked up on the market square, the other the somewhat patinated charm or so called oily rag condition! In order to write my Ramblings I often note mentally items I think might be useful. More often than not I also forget most of them before I can put pen to paper! The day before we returned from Australia I again visited the display of period vehicles in the centre of Kalamunda mentioned by me in an earlier article. I ferreted out the owner of the 1928 Austin Burnham saloon. What a coincidence when I found out that not only had he lived in my home town here in Suffolk until the early 1990's but I did also know him. He was not into old cars at that time but hopefully between us we will be able to work out the connection. Whilst the mention of Ipswich, UK to another exhibitor promptly got him talking. It transpired he has a brother in the UK who has a Cowley. He was also a great fan of Ipswich Speedway and the legendary rider Billy Sanders from Australia, now sadly deceased. It is a remarkably small world! 28 I was interested in John Ford's comments on the correlation between the number of club eligible cars and the fact their owners are not all members. Years ago the Suffolk Noggin and Natter had an attendance of maybe 25 to 30 persons. It ultimately had closure when the number of attendees dropped to less than a handful. I like to think that those ex members cars may have stayed locally or increased membership in other regions and not disappeared from membership totally. Personally, I am aware that some Morris owners consider that membership of an organisation is unnecessary. I can understand that perhaps it is not essential, but to my mind it just adds to the enjoyment of Morris ownership. Mind you, I personally think you get out of an organisation what you put in. It is a two-way thing. An old adage says you reap what you sow! Whilst all sorts of historical dates within the club come and go I could not help noticing that the February edition of Yellow Pages, the East Anglian Regional newsletter was numbered 492. Clearly heading towards the 500th later this year which is somewhat meritorious. That is a lot of regional news and many thanks must go to successive local editors over the years for their valiant efforts. Originally produced as a separate A4 sheet, but now included as part of a very polished publication. I cannot remember why the name Yellow Pages was adopted. I suppose it could possibly have related some way or another to telephone directories and the associated Yellow pages but does anyone in the region remember? Ivan Rooke MORRIS 25 WATERWORKS have been having problems with my waterworks on the 25 since I put it back on the road in September 2017 after a Ilong restoration. First off I removed the had it skimmed, refitted with new head gasket, but this didn't seem rectify the problem. After another run I noticed that the water pump had a slight leak and also one of the carbon discs seemed to move around, so off it came and a total rebuild was undertaken, including drilling a small hole through the carbon disc into the main body of the pump to stop it rotating, once refitted all was well, but it still overheated on a run! I had flushed and back flushed the system many times, so I finally removed radiator and had it checked and it wasn't good news! I had to eventually bite the bullet and have it re-cored as you will see the picture of the core when it was removed shows it was pretty much blocked. The radiator people thought that only about one third of the radiator was working, I had weighed the radiator before it was rebuilt and it was 3 kilos lighter when it came back. I don't know if this was due to the crap in it, or the new core material was thinner. Refitting it was a nerve wracking job, as it was still a heavy item to lift over the headlamp bar and miss the water pump, but my son gave me a hand when he came over on Boxing day with his family, we managed to get away with it before we were missed! After a good run up to temperature all was good, the next nerve racking job was to refit the giant bonnet; it takes three people to do this, so my wife Judith was team member number three. There was a great sigh of relief when it was all back in place without any incidents! I am now waiting for a hot and sunny day to give it a proper test. Mick Roberts EAYP Editor bonus prize question: How many 3 inch tubes are soldered together to make up a Morris 25 radiator core? Mick has told me the exact figure and I’ll buy a drink at the next noggin to the one who gets closest! 29 EA REGION EVENTS 11 Apr: Essex Noggin at The Duck, Newney Green, Chelmsford, CM1 3SF 28 Apr: Drive-it-Day 9 May: Essex Noggin at The Duck, Newney Green, Chelmsford, CM1 3SF 16 Jun: Classic Car Show at the Epping to Ongar Railway 22 Jun: All Saints Church & James Oglethorpe School Summer Fete & Classic Car Show, Ashvale Gardens, Cranham, RM14 3NB. Please book in: [email protected] 7 Jul: Maldon Car Show 11 Jul: 10th “Classics on the Green”, 3 pm onwards, Friston, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1NP

Editor: Jenny Smithson 01959 525 265, [email protected] Secretary: Phil Butland 01323 843 080, [email protected]

NOGGIN UPDATES he meeting at The Bull, Newick is in abeyance at the moment. However, tThere is a noggin at The Smugglers Rest, TSaltdean, BN10 7DE, on the fourth Tuesday of each month 11 am. Further details from Bob Pocock 01273 580 333. DRIVE-IT-DAY Mike Brears is organising a Maynot's Run. Further details from 07973 384291 or [email protected] SOUTH EAST AGM his will be held on Saturday 13th April at 3 pm. Venue is St John's Church Hall, Hildenborough, Kent, TN11 9HT. TPlease send items for the agenda to [email protected] Light refreshments will be provided. SURREY NOGGIN oor weather kept Pmost of our cars in the garage but Geoff Mullen’s braved it to bring his two seater and was joined by a splendid MG Magnette, to the newly refurbished Jovial Sailor in Ripley. Much sprocket talk and members ailments were discussed over a delightful meal and a pint or two. Next meeting is planned for 12.00 on Thursday 18th April at The Crown and Cushion in Minley Surrey GU17 9AU. New and old members welcome. Contact Geoff Mullen’s on 07748 012 596 or [email protected]

RIVERSIDE RUN, 27th APRIL his year’s Run will take place on Saturday 27th April, the day before Drive-it-Day, to allow people to attend D-i-D Tevents on Sunday or the British Marques dDay (was Austin Morris Day) at Brooklands Museum Weybridge or to attend the London Marathon as we will be doing to support our daughter Vikki who is running for Bowel Cancer UK. We will be meeting in the shopper’s car park in Downside bridge road Cobham KT11 3DG at 10am. A small charge applies and should be paid for parking until 10.30 to enable the first set of easy clues to be found. From here we will set off on a scenic run of 25 miles across the Surrey Hills, taking us through Fetcham and South across Ranmore and Abinger commons before returning to end the run at the Thatcher’s Hotel East Horsley for lunch. There will be a couple of stopping points along the route to complete the quiz and allow your cars to take a rest. Hopefully the bluebells will be out in abundance and the sun shining. Please email me if you intend to participate in the run so that I have some idea of final numbers of runners and riders. Monty Mumford ([email protected]) If you wish to donate to Vikki’s charity sponsor please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vikki-mumford 30 The North East Region Local News EDITOR: Roy Smith, 01937 581 793, [email protected] SECRETARY: Roy Pidgeon [email protected]

THE MORRIS 8 INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE... SO FAR! was 16 years old and totally confident that I knew what I wanted from life and had the self-confidence that my generation Iwould change the world. I sat my O levels and then announced to my parents that instead of doing the expected A levels and university, I intended to leave school and train to be a motor mechanic; this came as somewhat of a shock to them as they had hoped that I would eventually take over the family farm and thus provide them with a smooth passage into retirement. I managed to get a job as a “junior” at our local garage, and for the first time in my life I was earning a wage... and paying tax; not only that, but also found that I was expected to contribute to the running costs of my home. Life at the lowest position in a village garage was not as sexy as I had envisaged – there proved to be precious little “tuning desirable fast cars” and an awful lot of lying on my back with dirt dropping into my eyes and mouth, struggling to undo sump plugs, in order to change engine oil. All other employees went off to the pub and, of course, this excluded me, and the local girls were not as impressed by my “engine oil after shave”, as I had hoped they would be! After some six weeks at work my father and I went out for a trip to our local motor scrap yard and there we found a very sad looking Morris 8: this was definitely not what I wanted (I was looking for a ) but the car Doris the Morris at her best: parked in South looked so needy, and it was the only car I could afford - a bargain at £20! West London after a full wash and scrub up. It wasn’t anywhere near being a runner, but it retained that “used leather” Tank tops and socks with sandals… thankfully smell, and we towed it back to the farm. the fashion police had not yet been discovered By the time I had worked for eight weeks the sheen of changing engine oil was wearing thin, and ultimately I received my exam results, so after due reflection (about 30 seconds) I decided that I preferred to go back and do A levels. Over the next couple of years my father and I restored, to the best of our ability “Doris the Morris”. To say that some of our repairs were crude was an understatement – I remember welding angle iron onto the chassis and gluing some old plywood into the driving side floor, to cover the holes in the wood. We resprayed her using my mother’s vacuum cleaner as a compressor. I was successful with A levels and went to university in London, where I was one of the few students to own a car – not something common like a mini – but a genuine 1938 Morris 8, 4 door saloon with sliding roof - this was a real “crowd pleaser”. The first girl I offered a lift home to ended up as my wife some years later. Cornflake packet and red sticky glue to create I was 40 years old before my father told me that he had secretly contacted a home made head gasket: no need for a the garage owner and offered to pay my wages, provided that he ensured torque wrench – just tighten down the head as that I was so disillusioned with the prospect of being a motor mechanic hard as you can!

Left:The happy day in 1977: my wife still fits her dress – I certainly don’t fit my suit, I would imagine the trousers might just fit my thigh nowadays! Above: MR surprise visitors to the wedding 31 that I would want to go back to school. Life as an undergraduate in London was a good deal less complicated than it would be these days and I was able to drive to central London and park, free of charge, in side streets. I remember fabricating a head gasket from a cornflake packet and red sticky sealer that managed to get everywhere: I had never heard of a torque wrench. Nostalgically reviewing my photographs of that era, I am impressed by my confidence that I could sort most things out myself - and distressed by my dress sense! The 1970’s fashions were so unforgiving! Over the course of time I joined two important motoring organisations that would help my life greatly - Morris Register and the AA! I was a “frequent flyer” with the AA – we had lifts back to London from the Lake Above: District, Scotland and Wales to name but a few! Several times I arrived Horace the car some 3 weeks before tmy home ahead of schedule courtesy of the AA. I still have flashbacks about daughter's wedding, still awaiting stripping, the snapped half shaft on the roundabout at the junction of the A1 and respraying and reassembly: it felt very the North Circular Road. reminiscent of an episode of “Car SOS” with I was lucky enough to be befriended by two members of the Register who the midnight oil about to be burned! were neighbours on Nightingale Lane South West London. They Below: Many overtime hours (and a considerable sum of money) later, I was a Many overtime hours (and a considerable sum very proud father and the money had been well spent. were fantastically of money) later, I was a very proud father and knowledgeable and had lots of tools and spares. Dave Winton actually the money had been well spent. ran a repair garage, which he allowed me to use at weekends free of charge, and Geoff was very patient with my ignorance and the presence of five left handed thumbs on each hand! The next big event was in 1977 when we used Doris the Morris as our wedding car – fortunately my father paid for a respray: the only fly in the ointment was my bright idea of giving the seats a quick buff up with blue shoe polish – luckily my future mother in law noticed that the blue polish came off onto clothing – thus my wife to be arrived at the church, sitting on an old bed sheet! At the reception the eight members of the South West London branch of the Morris Register unexpectedly called off at God’s own county (Yorkshire) in their cars, as they were on their way to a Scottish tour: they timed things very well, as after a frantic search, we had just managed to locate a bottle opener! Shortly afterwards Doris had to take a back seat as I needed a more reliable car and then sadly had to be sold for a more modern car, as we both needed reliable cars for work. In 1985 we moved to Yorkshire and with two children and a full time job and loads of DIY to get through, I had little time for cars but often thought regretfully about Doris as by then we had plenty of space to store a third car. In 2013 when I retired, I decided that I would like to buy another Eight as a project, so I re-joined the Register. Bizarrely, whilst browsing through the my first issue of the magazine that I received, I found a photo of Doris; so I made contact with her current owner – I apologised for the chassis welding, but was delighted to learn that she was still running regularly in the south of England, and had found a good home. Shortly afterwards I bought Horace the Morris - a 1938 4 door saloon with sliding roof, and started tinkering away, renovating various aspects (mainly the interior and the brakes) until my daughter asked if she could use the car for her wedding – in six months time! I was of course delighted, but it did mean that I would have to pay a professional to get it “ship shape” for the big day: this was not what I had planned, as I had anticipated the project would take me several years. This time it was red shoe polish on the car seats, so my daughter had to sit on a bed sheet – just in case! I had planned to get a photo of my wife and me with Horace, but what with speeches and champagne the moment was lost. That year I won “best in class” at Thoresby – the feat was only slightly tarnished by the size of the entry field (Two cars,

Left: Taking delivery of Boris the Morris: the choice of name has proved to be profane – he has proven to be a very slippery customer, appearing to be one thing, but in fact being another and he has already cost me a pile of money! Right: 3 months later 32 one of which was only half finished)! Last year my wife became captain of the golf club, and I knew that I would become a golf widower, so I decided that I needed another project… and through my friends in the local ”noggin and natter”, I was introduced to Boris the Morris – a 1935 4 door saloon with sliding roof: he had been sitting untouched, under a tarpaulin in the front garden for many years. I got off to a flying start, but of late I have hit the barriers, and am again in debt to members of my local group, who are providing advice and hands on help: to date Terry Hall and I have spent a good few hours head scratching and swapping various bits and pieces round. We think we may have made some progress, but it has involved unpicking virtually all the welding on the rear wheel arches that had been done when I got the car! We have also worked out that the running boards that were supplied are some 4 cm. too wide. So the net result is that the car looks much worse than it did three months ago – and all we have been successful in is fitting the rear valance! (See pictures on previous page)Still, that’s what projects are all about and it is good to know that I haven’t lost my touch of looking lost and pathetic enough, to ensure someone who knows what they are doing feels the need to rescue me! TREVOR'S HILLMAN hen a group of us recently visited the Coventry WMuseum of Transport I told the assembled crowd on arrival to look for a car on display that formally belonged to Trevor Willsden, a car I told them they would not normally associate with him. A bit of 'tongue in cheek’ and probably a bit of cheek with it. But as many would normally think of him mostly as a Morris man with small, around the 1000cc engine size, it wouldn’t be too far off the mark really. The car in question is a beautiful Hillman limousine that Trev used for a period of time in the sixties. He owned and ran it, I guess, when petrol was cheap . He used it as a wedding car for former Register member Brian Radforth and his then to be wife Linda on their special day. Sadly Linda doesn’t want her photos to be displayed to all in sundry so I can only send you sepia pictures of the car when Trev owned it in its original dark blue and one taken with Trevor in the museum last month*. After Trevor sold the car it was painted, and still is, in the maroon and cream colours of the new owners coach company. Although there is not a Morris in this story but as Trevor is a very modest Morris man and well known around the country by so many members I thought it may be relevant, to the magazine and all and sundry. Roy Pidgeon *Unfortunately a sepia picture was not forwarded with this article.

NE REGION EVENTS ?? Apr: Lunchtime noggin, to be confirmed 17 Apr: NE Noggin 8 pm at Soothill Club, Batley, WF17 6HW 19-27 May: Trip to Holland. contact Roy Pidgeon, NE Region Secretary 11 Jun: Wetherby Classic Cars invitation to open evening display at Bridge Inn Walshford Wetherby 6.30 pm 15/16 Jun: Weekend meet at Beamish Living Museum. Contact Roy Pidgeon 9-11 Aug: National Rally at Thoresby Park, Notts.

33 THE MIDLANDER MORRIS REGISTER MIDLAND REGION EDITOR: June Sargeant, 01905 840 155, [email protected] SECRETARY: Barbara Farmer, 01536 711 620, [email protected]

LEICS AND NORTHANTS NOGGIN hat a great noggin – tewnty-nine people attending producing a lovely atmosphere and giving a real buzz to the Wevening. We were also pleased to welcome new members, Alan, Sheila and Iain Wilson from Daventry who are currently restoring a 1939 10M. Members were reminded of the upcoming Restoration Show at the NEC, the Vulcan Bomber visit on the 13th April being organised by Frank Ashley, the Jim Barry Memorial Run (“Cheese Run”) being adopted as our “Drive-it-Day” event and in this connection the Club Shop are now selling Drive-it-Day plaques (undated) at a cost of £4.95 plus £2 postage and packing. Entry forms were now also available for the MMOC National Rally at Kelmarsh Hall – 22-23 June 2019, and although not a MVA Rally, Morris Register members are also invited to bring their cars along. As this event is local to our noggin, we would welcome your support – the entry fee for Morris Register club members is £13 for the weekend – please contact us for an entry form. Cynthia Bartle advised of a classic car event being held at Belton House as part of their Horse Trials weekend at the end of March, Peter Yates told of the charitable event at Misterton Hall on 12th May, and the following weekend will be our visit to Raunds being hosted by Russell Hodgson. Bob Fleming updated us on the 2019 events at the Abbey Pumping Station and advised their latest acquisition is a petrol Kirby & West milk float! On a sad note, we had been advised that “Old Dalby Day” normally held on August Bank Holiday Monday has been cancelled due to lack of volunteers on the organising committee! Stuart King relayed a report that he had received from the FBHVC concerning some alarming facts for those wishing to take their classics or even their moderns abroad after the implementation of Brexit on the 29th March, Stuart has sent the text to the editor for publication in Morris Monthly. Bob Chamberlain reported that after the events of his visit to Anglia Car Auctions at the end of January, he is now the proud owner of another local “noggin” member’s 1934 Morris Oxford saloon and a similar donor car, amazingly they were registered on 31st December 1934 and 1st January 1935 respectively, together with a host of spares. Brian Fenton has purchased a quantity of spares from a contact friend of Alan North to suit his 1933 Morris 10/4 including a couple of engine blocks, rear axle and brake parts, this shows the value and comradeship of the club for information that would not normally be available to non-members. My own 1932 Oxford coupé has developed a fault - dropping out of third gear and upon inspection the indent spring is either tired or broken on the selector shaft for third and fourth gear. Pat Farmer WARWICKSHIRE NOGGIN espite the high winds and lashing cold rain, seventeen Morris Register members crammed into the back room at the DCrown Inn, Claverdon, on 12th March. Various topics from coach building to disturbing old cars from their winter sleep kept the lively discussion going for quite some time before the NEC Classic and Restoration Show focused the main item of the evening. Pat and Barbara Farmer joined us as John Ford enlightened us on the details needed for the smooth running of the three day event. The general public don’t realise the number of club volunteers required to operate these stands, including the build-up and break-up days, although we get enjoyment, interest and pleasure – it is a little hard work and tiring at times. Drive-it-Day on Sunday 28th April is being planned, as are the Chip night in Stratford on Avon and a picnic to Burton Dassett Country Park. Kelmarsh MMOC Rally on 23rd June, Pershore Abbey plum car show, 26th August, Peopleton Car show 31st August were all mentioned as shows worth attending. Our next Warwickshire Noggin meeting is on Tuesday 9th April at the Crown Inn, Henley Rd, Claverdon, Warwickshire CV35 8LJ – 7.00 for 7.30 for an evening of chat about Morris cars all welcome. Stephen and Roz Parkes HEREFORDS & WORCS NOGGIN ur meeting room was full to capacity for our March noggin. John mentioned a few of the forthcoming car shows Oand advised that he had entry forms available for these. Arrangements for Drive-it-Day will be circulated at the next meeting and forwarded to anyone not present. All are welcome. John then introduced his son, David, who gave a presentation, starting with him at age of 16 buying his first car, a LH drive VW Beetle stored for some time in a farmers barn. After a great deal of work on this he used it to do Classic Car Trials in which his Dad and June also participated in. He continued by telling of his various jobs in the motor trade progressing from shop floor to MD of Gemini Body Shops, the second largest in the country with 25 garages throughout the country. He went on to mention the Gumball Rally in which he and his garage managers all take part, and also the Autoraise Rally a charity which helps youngsters into apprenticeships. He showed pictures on screen of his various cars, his first VW Beetle, Maserati, Porsche, VW Campervan, VW Beach Buggy, and his very latest purchase of another LH Drive Beetle, a Herbie replica. His preferred cars still seem to be the Beetles! He also enjoyed driving John’s Morris 8 on occasion – an 34 altogether different driving experience! Finally, he spoke about the London Marathon in which he took part in 2016 and 2017 raising £13,059 along the way for worthy causes. This year he has been given a place in the marathon again for Revitalise, a national charity for providing respite holidays for over 50 years, and is the largest provider in the UK offering 4,500 holiday breaks each year at their centres in Southport, Southampton and Chigwell, catering for over 150 different disabilities with proper nurse led equipment and care combined with personal and social support volunteers in a relaxed environment and a programme of imaginative excursions and activities. David then answered questions from members and was thanked for giving this talk. A collection was made for sponsorship to the marathon which raised almost £50. Our next meeting takes place on 2nd April at our usual venue, the Duke of , Leysters, Herefordshire, HR6 0HW. June Sargeant LICHFIELD-SHENSTONE NOGGIN t our February meeting arrangements were made at short notice to visit Claymills Victorian Pumping Station, as we Afound out that it was in full steam on the following Sunday. A group of us visited the Pumping Station (photos below) and what a great time we had. We parked the cars inside the museum site and briefly became one of the museum's many attractions. The volunteers at the museum were extremely accommodating and they certainly knew their stuff. They passed on a vast amount of their knowledge about Claymills and its ancillary buildings in a very enthusiastic and informative way. It was great to see people who clearly had a passion for the steam engines and workshops that they have so lovingly restored. It was easy to spend a few hours looking at the exhibits and of course we could not leave without sampling the tea and cakes in the warm and cosy café. We came away with a list of dates on which the engines will be in steam over the next year. We will certainly be paying them another visit in the future. We will keep you posted. Hopefully, now that the days are getting a little longer a few more of us will be coming along to our monthly meeting in our Morris motors. It will be great to peer under the bonnet to look at the potential causes of problems that we may be experiencing with our cars. It is much easier to discuss a carburettor or a wiring problem when you are looking at it face to face. Shenstone Lichfield Noggin is going from strength to strength. We have a group of regular attendees that have a wide range of knowledge and between us we offer practical solutions to any problems that members may have with their cars. We meet up on the third Tuesday of each month at The Bull's Head Public House, Shenstone, Near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Members old and new are always welcome. We look forward to meeting you. For Drive-it-Day on Sunday 28th April a group of us are meeting up at RAF Cosford Air museum near Wolverhampton. We are aiming to get there for 11 am and spend some time looking around the museum. It is a really interesting place to visit. It would be great if other Morris members could join us. We will be sending a flyer round at the beginning of April which will have all of the information. Mick and Sue Roden

WELSH REGION NEWSLETTER CYLCHLYTHYR RHANBARTH CYMRU EDITOR AND SECRETARY: John Howells, “Bronllys”, Vicarage Road, Penygraig, Rhondda,CF40 1HR 01443 432 542 [email protected]

SECRETARY'S SPOT here is some important information for events this month, together with last month’s Morris Monthly: last month there Twas a list of events in Diary Dates going through to September. As in previous years, during the ‘in-between’ months I’ll just list the events which are upcoming shortly, so as not to repeat all items pointlessly I’ll include other items, and any changes, when I am informed of them. Items in bold are Wales Region events. Of course, Members from any region are very welcome to join in. Please let me know asap as numbers can be limited at venues. 35 For Drive-it-Day we have obtained a small supply of Wales Region Morris Register Drive-it-Day car plaques as shown in the February MM. The plaques are really nicer ‘in the flesh’ than the photo shows. These are made of strong, but flexible plastic, and are digitally printed, and punched for fixing. I have used plaques from this firm over several years, and have even left a plaque on our Morris for a couple of years with no sign of fading. The plaques are not dated, and so can be used year after year. Please support your Wales regional committee and the Morris Register by ordering one of these lovely promotional plaques. The cost is £3 plus p&p, or can be picked up at the Noggin at Bonvilston with no P&P. If you would like your Morris to sport one for Drive-it-Day, or to put up in your garage if your car isn’t ready, please phone me to order one: 01443 432 542. For Drive-it-Day itself, our South Wales Noggin by popular demand has decided to visit the Nantgarw China Works (at the lower end of Treforest Industrial Estate) arriving by 10.00-10.15 am, for coffee and tour, etc. Then, a run to LLancaiach Fawr Manor, Trelewis CF46 6ER. for a visit and Sunday Lunch at 1 pm. Booking is essential. We have some lunch places reserved, so please let me know if you are coming, so that I can confirm the numbers with the restaurant. John Howells BERNIE'S BLOG - CHAPTER FIVE ell, doesn’t time fly when you are having fun – or when you are restoring a Morris vehicle! Our Welsh Region WSecretary (amongst others!) has been nagging (sorry – urging) me to provide the next Chapter of Bernie’s Blog for some time. Finally found time to sit down to write it, only to find that it is over two years since the last one – apologies … So here goes. So, the chassis and mechanical side were complete, now it was time to start on the bodywork. First on the list, was establishing the condition of the ash frame – oh dear, what a mess – see Pic 1. Sadly, my brother, who was a cabinet maker and keen to help restore it, passed away following a brave battle with cancer before I was able to start. I’m pretty sure he was watching over me (and probably wincing) at some of my attempts to restore the ash frame. Where possible, I tried to save, treat and repair parts of the original frame. However, unfortunately most of it was completely rotten and, in some places missing altogether which meant a lot of research and, in some cases, imagination. I even resorted to cannibalising a scrap vehicle for templates on a trip to Brighton to buy other spare parts – see pic 2! The purchase of a band saw was a must (any excuse for a new toy!) Many drawings, hours spent in the workshop and photos later, the pieces of the jigsaw were either restored or newly made from scratch ready for reassembly – see pics 3 and 4. My hard work paid off – as illustrated by pic 5, which shows the newly built roof section in place in addition to pics 6 and 7 which shows the rear quarter and rear window frames in place with old and new sections together. As mentioned in Bernie’s Blog Chapter Four – this is only a few lines, but it took a LONG time to complete and best illustrated by these few photos – the next chapter will cover encasing the newly built ash frame into the main body of the car and restoration of the metal work. I promise you won’t have to wait two years for the next episode! Bernie and (long suffering) Louise Cotty 1

2 3 4

5 6 7 36 CAR AND COFFEE y apologies for the incorrect info regarding the Cars & Coffee events at the Aubrey Arms, Bonvilston. MIn the February MM, I said that it is on Tuesday, but it is really on the second Wednesday of each month at 11 am. Rhiannon and I attended in January, and met a friendly, good crowd of enthusiasts. If you need any further information, please contact Kelvin Price, who is the mainstay of the event(s).

WALES EVENTS (Welsh Region eventsd in BOLD) 13/14 Apr: Motorcycle Show, Llanishen High School, Heol Hir, Cardiff 01443 435 125 (Confirmation awaited) 22 Apr: Coleford Carnival of Transport, Forest of Dean, Glos. www.colefordcarnival of transport.co.uk (NB: Entry charge £2.50). The organisers usually close off the town streets for this one. 28 Apr: National Drive-it-Day. Have you got your Morris Register Drive-it-Day car plaque yet? Call John. (See John Howells, Reg. Secretary, for details). Back by popular demand, a run to Llancaiach Fawr Manor, Trelewis CF46 6ER for Sunday lunch. Booking essential. Llancaiach Fawr was the home of Colonel Edward Pritchard during the Civil War years. 4/5 May: Border Counties Vintage Club, Steam and Country Show, Monmouth. (google for info and application form) 6 May: Swansea Historic Vehicle Register rally at Singleton Park, Swansea. Club Stand. Please ring me if you want to be on our stand. http://swanseahistoricvehicleregister.co.uk 6 May: Morris Minor Owners’ Club rally at Caldicot Castle, Church Rd. Caldicot, NP26 4HU. 11 am-4 pm, Club Stand – The Morris Minor Owners’ Club has invited us to join in with them on their rally please ring me for an entry form and number. www.south-wales-morris-minors-owners- club.co.uk 18/19 May: Anglesey Vintage Rally, [email protected] 19 May: S. Wales Classic Car Club annual Charity Classic Car Show &Autojumble, Cardiff City Football Stadium, Leckwith Rd. CF11 8AZ. Dave Hyde, Quarry Cottage, Penygarn Rd, Pontypool, NP4 8JT (Text: 07789 860 764) 24-27 May: Welsh Region long weekend Mid-Wales tour, Llandrindod Wells. Some places still available, contact John Howells, 01443 432 542 or 07976 301 723, [email protected] 27 May: Vale of Glamorgan Classic Car Show, Sully Sports Club ground, near Barry, Club stand Sully Sports Club, South Road, Sully, Glamorgan, CF64 5SP. Contact the organisers on 02920 513 177, www.valeofglamorganclassiccarshow.net

37 SPRING MOTORING WESTWORDS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MORRIS REGISTER WEST REGION EDITOR: Jim Riglar, 01225 754 981, [email protected] SEC: Jeremy Matthews, 01458 445 175, [email protected] EDITORIAL f, like me your classic motoring season has not yet started, it can only be a matter of weeks before you will probably Ibe involved in some event or another. There has already been notification of a considerable number of events, many of which I have tried to capture in this month’s Westwords. This year, a Drive-it-Day run on the 28th April is likely to be my first classic car drive of the 2019 season. I hope the many planned events offer at least some opportunities for you to get your Morrises out on the road. April also means it is time for the West Region Annual General Meeting. If you can attend, it will be a pleasure to see you there. Jim Riglar NEWS FROM THE GROUPS Somerset, 12th March: As usual the noggin was well attended. Pete Cannard is still awaiting the return (15 months and counting!) of the re-built gearbox for his M10 Pre-Series saloon. Roy Bowden continues to make steady progress with his M8 Special. Steve Knight is planning to use his newly restored M8 S1 tourer this season, with its first on a formal run outing planned for his Drive it Day event. The use of this car will give him the opportunity to restore the original engine to his M12 S2 saloon; something which he has long planned to do. Preparations for the May break at Chilworth Manor are well advanced and Anne Riglar is awaiting responses from a number of attractions before finalising the itinerary for the break. As noted in the North East Wilts report, Steve & Cath Knight are again organising a Drive-it-Day Run in North and West Wiltshire, with a number of our noggin regulars likely to participate. Jim Riglar North & West Devon, 14th March: With apologies from Andrew, Sarah, Pip, Theresa & Rick with a sore throat, we had still had 20 members attend our second meeting at our new location “The Pig on the Hill”. This month we had much more room, tables were set up for us in the pubs larger dining area that also has a skittle alley. Next month remember to bring your plimsolls (shorts optional) ready for a game, there may even be a prize for the winning team! All seems well under control for our Drive-it-Day run on 28th April, with 20 plus members and friends coming along. We still have our April club day meeting beforehand so please by then let Stephanie or myself know if you have not already booked but would like to come along. EVENTS & SUPPLIERS LIST: John Garrod has produced an events list for this Spring and Summer, anyone that does not have copy contact John at [email protected]; John also has a comprehensive list of suppliers covering just about everything we could need to keep our Morris cars in good order. Our next meeting will be on Thursday 11th April at the Pig on the Hill, Westward Ho, EX39 5HA from 11 am. For further information please contact 01805 804094 or [email protected] Ian Rayment North East Wilts, 27th February: The Marlborough noggin attracted well over a dozen members. It was pleasing to see a couple of Morrises out in the car park, both of which were M8 Series 2 models. Pictured are a 1938 tourer, one of two Morrises owned by Ann-Marie Floyd, who was attending the noggin with husband Mike and a 1938 4 door saloon owned by Norman and Barbara Burridge from Devizes, attending their first noggin. Norman has acquired the car within the last year and has been busy fettling it ready for the road. We hope to see him out in it on some runs and local events. Paul James

WEST REGION AGM - TUESDAY 9th APRIL 2019 - 8 pm START at The Highwayman, Cannard’s Grave, Shepton Mallet, Somerset (Adjacent to A37, south of Shepton Mallet) The Annual General Meeting will be held at 8pm to about 8:35-8.45 pm. The concurrent Somerset noggin, 6.30 pm onwards to 10.30-11.00 pm, will be suspended for the duration of the AGM. Any committee nominations or items for discussion should be forwarded, prior to the meeting, to West Region Secretary - Jeremy Matthews, [email protected] or 01458 445 175

38 Hampshire (New Forest), 19th March: A fairly peaceful night, although current affairs gave us a lot to talk about as well as upcoming Drive it Day, local garages, recipes for home cooking and doctors. As you can see topics are wide ranging and diverse, sometimes we also get round to such questions as replacing glass in cars, where to get chrome plating done, is there more than one company repairing steering wheels for our cars and powder coating versus stove enamelling! It was a pleasure to see John and Vera, Rachel, Malcolm, Christine and Geoff alongside me and Linda. Although I don't usually mothball the Minors over winter both are awaiting repairs and hemmed in by temporary storage issues, so these days the trip over the forest is fairly boring in our modern Jag (Transit in a dinner jacket). Aside from Morris Register noggins, each year I organise a classic and vintage car display at the Everton Arts Festival, a local event for anyone in the Lymington area. I am looking for cars to join a display at the recreation ground on Saturday 15th June. Cars need to arrive 10.45-11.30am and enter via Greenmead Avenue, off Wainsford Road, SO41 0UF. The show is open to the public 11.45 am-5 pm. I need to know numbers in advance to make sure we have space and so that in the event of changes/cancellation I can contact any participants! Please confirm if you would like to bring your classic or vintage car. Toby Sears WEST REGION COMMITTEE MEETING, 23rd FEB he regional committee discussed a number of items, including an outline programme of potential events for the T2019 season. In preparation for the AGM, Celia Goodland presented the regional accounts. The region’s financial situation is exceptionally healthy and the national treasurer had requested that the region consider forgoing its 2019 funding allocation from national funds. The committee agreed this by exception, on the provision that the funds could subsequently be called forward if required. Harry Good presented a membership report covering the last 12 months. The next meetings are Tuesday 9th April, Annual General Meeting and on Saturday 26th October, a Regional Committee Meeting. The minutes of the meeting will be published after the AGM as they contain details of the selected nominee for the Tony Hale Memorial Trophy. WEST REGION DRIVE-IT-DAY EVENTS, 28TH APRIL North Devon Run: This is a ‘mystery tour’ of just under 60 miles starting and finishing at the Quince Honey Farm, South Molton. Meet 10 am for coffee departing 10.45 am. There will be a lunch stop of about an hour at Nomansland. Contact: Stephanie Whittlestone, 07583 837 431 or [email protected] North & West Wiltshire Run: 10am onwards meet at Sainsbury’s supermarket, Bradford on Avon BA15 2AZ for coffee. 10.45 am Depart for a morning tour via, Broughton Gifford, Great Chalfield, Bathford, Bannerdown, Marshfield, Castle Combe Circuit, to a lunch stop at The Bell, Yatton Keynell. After lunch, the route continues via Leigh Delamare (the village, not the M4 service area!), Stanton St Quinton, Hullavington, Upper Seagry, Sutton Benger, Kington Langley, Biddestone, and Pickwick to a finish circa 3.30 pm at Box SN13 8ER for refreshments and a chat. Contact: Steve Knight, 07714 085 321 or [email protected] South Hampshire/South Wiltshire Run: Meet at Royal Oak, North Gorley SP6 2PB (New Forest Noggin venue), for an 11 am departure via Ibsley, Ashford, Sandleheath, Damerham, Martin and Broad Chalke to a lunch stop at 12-12.15 pm at The Horseshoe Inn, The Cross, Ebbesbourne Wake, Salisbury SP5 5JF. After lunch for those wishing to return to North Gorley, retrace the morning route. Contact Toby Sears, 01590 644 269 or [email protected]

WEST REGION EVENTS 9 Apr: West Region AGM, 8 pm The Highwayman, Cannard’s Grave, Shepton Mallet, Somerset “Remember – It is your input that keeps the region vibrant” 14 Apr on: Dorset: Classic Cars on the Prom - Contact Ashley Miller, 07885 79 2711 • Bournemouth - behind the BIC 4 pm - 6.30 pm – Most Sundays from 21 Apr until 22 Sep, except: • Christchurch Quay – 11 am - 5 pm, 14 Apr, 30 Jun, 01 Sep 29 Sep • Highcliffe Castle – 11 am - 4 pm, 28 Jul 27/28 Apr: Gloucs: Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway - Wartime in the Cotswolds - Pre 1946 Classic Vehicle Display Toddington Station. Enquiries: e-mail: [email protected] 28 Apr: Drive-it-Day – Three West Region Road Runs. See details above Also numerous other events, incl: Lions Brimar Vintage & Classic Car Run & Display – For details e-mail: [email protected] 3-6 May: Somerset: Abbey Hill Steam Rally - A37 (just south of Yeovil) Contact Abbey Hill Steam Rally Ltd 01395 80 8095 6-11 May: Chilworth Manor Break (South East Hampshire) – Contact Anne Riglar, 01225 754 981 or [email protected] 15 May: South Devon Coastal Run – Contact David Palmer tel: 07770 235 518 or [email protected] 6 Jun: Inter-noggin meet, Hornsbury Mill, near Chard. Featuring runs from East Devon & from Mid Somerset. Approximate numbers for lunch are required by 11th May, contact David Palmer or Jeremy Matthews as appropriate. • East & South Devon noggin run – Contact David Palmer, 07770 235 518 or [email protected]. • Somerset Noggin run – Contact Jeremy Matthews, 01458 445 175 or [email protected] 19 Jun: Three Counties Run – Contact John Goodland, 01747 825 929 or [email protected]

39 EDITOR: Geoff Campbell, 01494 875 783, [email protected] SECRETARY: John Powell, 01895 672 706, [email protected]

EDITORIAL elcome to the April edition of Chilterns Chatter. In Early March on BBC WOne’s One Show, I just caught an item where someone by the name of Paul Brooke had found the remains, in a scrap yard, of a Morris Light Reconnaissance Car. In spite of much of the body being absent or rusted away, the car had been restored to its former glory. Not having heard of these World War II military vehicles before, I undertook some research and discovered that the vehicle was designed by Morris Commercial Cars Ltd in 1940 and produced as a result of the heavy losses and equipment being left behind at Dunkirk. New vehicles capable of gathering intelligence were needed Morris Light Reconnaissance Car fast and the Morris was chosen, in spite of its unconventional configuration, to supplement similar type vehicles produced by the Standard Motor Company and Humber. It was produced between 1940 and 1944 during which time, 2200 were built. The car had a crew of three, was powered by a four cylinder petrol engine and was capable of a maximum speed of 50 mph. Fortunately, a few examples still survive including one in the Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset and one in the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. From the photographs below, I am guessing that Paul Brooke might have used these to take patterns from! With acknowledgement to: www.tanks-encyclopedia.com and https://en.wikipedia.org

Morris LRC as found Restored Morris LRC

FULL THROTTLE ON THE CHALFONT HEIGHTS ESTATE Back to the 1930s when some of the world’s finest motorcars made the regular journey to Chalfont St Peter. o-one likes to hear the sound of boy racers destroying the peaceful tranquillity of the countryside as they tear along Nthe tree-lined roads, so it’s surprising to find that in the 1930s, the owners of the Chalfont Heights Estate positively welcomed the roar of voracious vehicles going full throttle. In fact, when the Bugatti Owners’ Club first came to Buckinghamshire in 1928, few could have predicted the popularity of an event that would become one of the most anticipated dates on the local calendar. The premise was a simple one – showcase some of the world’s finest racing cars whilst marketing a private housing estate at the same time. Spectators were invited to aspire to owning their dream home just as they were their dream car, for drivers, their attention needed to be fixed on the sharp hills, winding corners and hairpin turns, all the while entertaining a crowd of thousands. Chalfont Heights was a designated private housing estate, bought in 1927 by Lewis Stroud; and although the route was altered over the years, it generally began where Woodside Close is today, advance up Woodside Hill, around a hairpin on Lincoln Road, then onwards to the finish. That such a procession of splendid Bugattis ended up in leafy rural England shouldn’t come as a surprise – the brand was founded by an Italian (Ettore Bugatti) in the then German city of Molsheim, and put into manufacturing in France. It made sense then that these incredible vehicles should continue their progression onto these shores, particularly given 40 the UK’s thirst for car manufacture in the pre-war era, The hill climb continued until 1935 when another British infatuation – Health and Safety – intervened. The RAC had become increasingly concerned for spectator safety after successions of near misses – the estate’s tight bends and tree obstructions were said to represent a significant danger. As a result, the event was switched to Prescott Hill in Gloucestershire, where it continues to this day. Many regard it a shame that Chalfont’s early adoption of such a prestigious event didn’t last long., although unbeknownst to locals at the time, the intervening war years would have seen a significant break in play in any case. And anyway, the true legacy of the Bugatti Owners’ Club Hill Climb is not the course, but the vehicles themselves and a great number of these survive today, with the public’s admiration of classic cars at an all-time high. In 2015, the Chalfont St Peter History Society and the Chalfont Heights Estate jointly arranged a commemorative parade of cars to mark the 80th anniversary of the last parade. The route went through the village to a display area on Gold Hill Common. Today, total serenity has returned to the estate. Houses nestle into breaks in trees, fields stretch beyond and the only roads worthy of discussion for those who live in the 200 homes are those representing strong transport links to the M40 and M25, and onwards to London – no Bugattis required.

Article written by James Evans and reproduced with the kind permission of Chalfonts News Photographs courtesy of The Bugatti Owners’ Club

OXFORD NOGGIN POST-CHRISTMAS LUNCH he Oxford Noggin held its annual Post-Christmas Lunch at the Holt Hotel on February 10th. In addition to Oxford Tnoggin attendees it was good to see our Chairman, secretary and committee member plus wives. The Region is quite large and for some the journey was quite long. Also the weather was somewhat chilly so it was acceptable for people to use modern cars as transport. We had over thirty attendees in total, which was satisfying and makes the effort of organising the lunch worthwhile. Awards were made to Martin Hampshire (for continued enthusiasm with his Series ‘E’ and the lovely 'start up' barbecues he gave last summer), to Pat Edminson (for many years' assistance at the annual spares stock count) and to our chairman, Roger Clitheroe (for continuing to smile in the face of considerable adversity after his serious illness a year ago). The food was excellent and we had to solve a quiz requiring the names of sweets as answers to cryptic questions. That gave the brain cells something to do while we sampled the culinary delights on offer. As always, such occasions give the opportunity to meet people we do not often see and so there was a lot of conversation. So much so that it was almost 4 pm before we started to head for home. Announcements were made for coming events so we hope that people took note and will bring out their Morrises when the weather gets a bit warmer.

Article and photos from Steve Gant

41 VISIT TO WHITEWEBBS MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT oused in a beautiful red brick Victorian pumping station which once housed machinery to pump water from the Hchalk aquifer into the New River in order to supply clean drinking water to London, the Museum is located in Whitewebbs Lane within the London Borough of Enfield. The Museum is owned and operated by the Enfield and District Veteran Vehicle Trust which is run by enthusiasts and volunteers. Amongst the exhibits are cars, motor cycles, commercial vehicles, models and a variety of transport memorabilia. There are also various display areas, a shop a cafe and an auto-jumble shop. Some years ago, the large canopy from Enfield Chase station was saved by the Trust and now provides additional accommodation to the rear of the pumping station. An ex-British Railways Mark 1 carriage houses two large working model railway layouts. In addition to running the Museum, the Trust also organises the annual Spring Bank Holiday week-end Enfield Pageant of Motoring with its large display of vehicles, arena entertainment and other attractions, not least of which is the impressive auto-jumble. Article and photos by Geoff Campbell

Austin Ten Cambridge Saloon Motorcycle collection

Pedal car display Morris Commercial lorry

Austin Ten Cambridge Saloon Motorcycle collection 42 CHILTERNS EVENTS 6 Apr: Film Night Chalfont St Giles Guide Hut 5.30pm for 6.00pm contact Chris Raine 28 Apr: Drive-it-Day Austin Club run to RAF Halto Oxford Noggin run to Batsford Arboretum - contact Steve Gant [email protected] British Marques Day, Brooklands 11 May: Hyde Heath Fete 19 May: Chiltern Hills Rally www.chilternhillsrally.org.uk/ 25-27 May: (BH) Enfield Pageant of Motoring 8 Jun: Nether Winchendon Fete – contact Terry Ponting Dunstable Classic Car Show 9 Jun: Classics on the Cricket Field, Naphill www.classicsonthecrick.co.uk 16 Jun: Historic Car Day at Nuffield Place Marsworth Steam Rally www.marsworthsteamrally.co.uk 22/23 Jun: Flywheel Festival, Bicester www.flywheelfestival.com 23 Jun: Leighton Buzzard Railway Vintage Vehicles Rally http://www.buzzrail.co.uk/static/vehicles.html 30 Jun: (Provisional) Chalfont Lodge Open Day & Car Show – contact Geoff Campbell WDCVC Summer Show Bushey Sports Club 6/7 Jul: Chiltern Steam Rally, Prestwood - contact Den Jarrott 14 Jul: Chorleywood Classic & Supercar Show 21 Jul: Uxbridge Autoshow www.uxbridgeautoshow.com 27/28 Jul: Dacorum Steam & Country Fayre Chiltern Open Air Museum Car Show 7 Aug: Classics on Croxley Green 26 Aug: (BH) Littlewick Green Show 8 Sep: Amersham Heritage Day Blenheim Palace Classic & Supercar Show www.blenheimclassicsupercar.com 14/15 Sep: 1940s week-end at Hughenden Manor – contact Den Jarrott 15 Sep: Classics on Croxley Green with Carter’s Steam Fair 21/22 Sep: Kop Hill Climb 26 Oct: Steam-up at Honours’ Yard - contact Den Jarrott 3 Nov: VCC London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Herbert Austin’s birthday - Red Lion Little Missenden 26 Dec: Boxing Day Meet, Sarratt

43 Member’s Morris Morris Motor Cars, the House Builders' Friend Peter Morrey

hile looking through the photograph album of my parents Eric and Connie, there was a section of pictures labelled W‘Holiday at Borth, near Aberystwyth in 1932’. There were three different cars, which were the transport for six friends. One of them was a 1930 Morris Minor two-door, two-seat tourer, with a special body. Back in 1928 at Morris Commercial Cars works, which before the Morris buy out in February 1927 had been the Wolseley works at Adderley Park, , Morris produced a remarkably small prototype car with a wheelbase of 78in and a track of 42 in. The car was smaller than the previously announced Austin ‘Seven’. It was so small so that it could be housed in the tool-shed of the average British home. The specification of the engine was four-cylinder, overhead camshaft, 57mm bore x 83mm stroke, three-ring aluminium pistons, capacity 847cc, SU carburetter developing 20bhp at 3,000rpm, coil ignition, three-speed gear box, wire wheels and full electrical equipment. According to "Morris Motor Cars 1913 – 1983" by Harry Edwards, over 14,000 units of the overhead head camshaft Morris Minors for the 1930 season were produced, including the one shown below. Wolseley, at Adderley Park were responsible for the new Minor, its design carried forward from the techniques employed on the larger, early Wolseley engines; largely following the overhead camshaft arrangement, which was originated by Hispano-Suiza aero-engine, made under license during the first world war. There were many coachbuilders who used the Morris Minor chassis as a basis on which to build their speciality cars. Amongst them was Coventry Motor and Sundries Co. Ltd., producing the C.M.S. Sports car. It would seem that the C.M.S. Sports would be the most likely makers of this very sporty number as seen above, Coventry being such a short distance to my parent’s home near Wolverhampton. The advert for the body of the C.M.S. Sports with the rear section of the body sloping off, and the ‘speed’ fairing in-line with the direction of travel at the rear, looks attractive and was shown in the "Morris Motor Car 1913 – 1983", the longest serving editor of the Morris Journal. A few years later in 1936 my father started a house building partnership with his elder brother, R.A. (Bob) & E.J. (Eric) Morrey. In 1937, they decided to use an old four-seater tourer to carry both of them, their labourers and materials to the site they were working on. They were for ever in trouble with the unreliability of the engine of the car. I was told by father’s younger sister, that her four brothers had travelled the 30 plus miles from Penn Common to Worcester for a funeral of an elderly uncle. After breaking down three times, they were so fed up with the car, they left the car at the side of the road, and carried on home by bus. The next day they contacted Jack Bradburn, of Bradburn and Wedge Ltd, the Wolverhampton appointed dealer of Morris cars, telling him of their problems with the Morris Cowley. Jack said that he had just taken in a five-year-old -Six tourer, a bit unkempt and tatty, but it was mechanically very sound. The rear seats were taken out and replaced with wooden benches for six people, it was fitted with a draw bar to pull an agricultural type trailer, which had been given to them by a farmer related to them. The trailer gave added value with a screw type tipper, complete with handles, to wind the trailer body up or down, to tip one ton of bricks, sand or anything else. 1931 Morris Major Tourer, similar to the Isis. Photo by courtesy of Harry James. This car was in extremely good order. My late elder brother Tony remembered the Isis well, although he was only four years old in 1941. It sounded very loud when it was under load with eight people sitting in it, although it had a straight-six, side-valve engine of 2,561cc delivering 68hp at 3,000 revs per minute. Uncle Bob was always watching the Calometer temperature gauge on the head of the radiator and, whenever it went over the limit, the journey was halted for ten minutes, allowing time for cooling down. The building business was well served by the Morris Isis and trailer between 1937 and 1947, and had been ‘hands on’ in the construction of 40 to 45 houses, air raid shelters and rebuilding of various council buildings, collecting all virtually all the building materials 44 Photo taken outside our house in 1946, my late brother Tony on 1931 Morris Major Tourer, similar to the Isis. This car was in the left, and me to the right on the front bumper of the Morris extremely good order. [Photo by courtesy of Harry James] 14, Series 111 Twenty-Five Saloon, registration number BJW 60. Note the wartime front bumper painted white, and the required. hooded headlamps With the announcement of WW2 in 1939, both Bob and Eric decided to garage their 2.5 litre SS/Jaguars for the course of the war, with the difficulty of getting petrol at that time. As their firm were involved in the building trade, they were eligible for the Ministry of Supply’s allocation for new vehicles as a necessary entity, and they had the required licences for vehicles for taking the men and materials to any site required. They were also allocated a new Morris 14, Series 111 Twenty-Five Saloon, similar to the Wolseley 14/56 saloon, but a little less expensive. All the necessary petrol coupons for the Morris 14 to go anywhere the Ministry of War or Wolverhampton Corporation required for building, demolition or repair works. A landmark for Morris came in 1939 when the millionth Morris car drove off the production line at the Cowley Works, making it the first British company to manufacture a million vehicles. The Morris 14 was a superb car, and so comfortable, with the Jackall built-in jacking system. I saw this jacking system in operation one morning in 1946, I looked out of the bedroom window at 7.30am to see my father putting the spare wheel on, the car was completely hoisted up on four hydraulic jacks, with a clearance under the wheels of two inches. Photo taken outside our house in 1946, my late brother Tony on the left, and me to the right on the front bumper of the Morris 14, Series 111 Twenty-Five Saloon, registration number BJW 60. Note the wartime front bumper painted white, and the hooded headlamps. The Morris 14 was a very fine motor car, with the ‘OPEM’ engine in the Twenty-Five Series 111 which was the most powerful in production at the time, giving 95 bhp at 3,500 rpm, weighing 32 cwt. The brothers were offered the Morris 14 by the Ministry of Supply in 1945, which they accepted. By 1947 the Morris 14 was sold to mother’s brother Laddy Jones, a qualified joiner, so it was still used within the building trade. Letters to the Editor Morris Mail JO 764 - AN APPEAL Dear Editor n 11th December 1930 Morris Motors registered the prototype S.V. Morris Minor at the Oxford CBC offices as OJO 764. In the days that followed, prior to Christmas that year, the car underwent a series of tests and took part in at least two photoshoots. It was first announced to the public in the Light Car’s 26th December edition after which its £100 price tag created headlines in both the national and motoring press. While the model was not a huge seller, its arrival on the scene heavily influenced model ranges across the British motor industry for decades to come. Amazingly, this extremely important vehicle survives. However, it is not resident in either the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu or the British Motor Museum at Gaydon but rests in an outbuilding in a Devonshire children’s theme park. It has lain there, slowly deteriorating for over 25 years. In 1992, the club’s then historian, Harry Edwards visited the site and confirmed the vehicle’s bona-fides in an article written for the spring 1992 edition of The Journal. (see this month’s Minor Musings) As was always the case it was a well-researched and thorough piece, leaving no doubt that this was indeed that important prototype. The current plight of this unique and famous Morris car should be of concern to all pre-war car enthusiasts and particularly to members of this club. Surely the will and resources of a club with circa 2000 members could formulate a plan that would assure the long-term future of such an important British vehicle? Saving this important car would be a tangible and important legacy and one to which we all as club members could contribute, either by a financial donation to a ‘Save JO 764’ fund or by giving freely of our time while utilising our skills in aiding JO 764’s restoration. Chris Lambert (Pre-war Minor Network) 12600/4 Thanks for this Chris, this seems an excellent idea, and I hope the National Suffolk Committe will have found time to discuss supporting it at the April meeting 45 JEMIMA'S CHALLENGE Dear Editor urther to my letter of last month, I've been driving the Morris Eight around a bit and Falthough she runs well and I'm fairly confident with her, but I feel on consideration that Jogle is asking a little too much of an 82 year old car, particularly since she doesn't belong to me. So the journey will now be - Wales, which makes more sense anyway as she will need to return home to Wales at some point. It will still be in early August and we will still be fundraising en route for the MND Association. We'll be happy to join up with members in the course of the trip, and if there are responses from anyone I'll provide route details in due course. To donate via JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/John-Newport1 Follow Jemima's Challenge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jemimas- Challenge-for-MND-Research-325038154884021/ John Newport 14391/4 Many thanks for the update, John. Please do Norfolk keep us informed as to your plans/progress. [email protected] MOTORING IN MINIATURE Dear Editor ay Frampton's recent article (February) has prompted me to respond. When Rit's cold in the garage and the Morris is tucked up for the winter one has to have another activity to keep the ‘grey cells’ working, in my case its working on my OO gauge model railway. Street scenes are part of the layout and include white metal kits of 1930’s motor cars, buses and farm equipment. It is surprising how many of the 1920/1930 vehicles are available on the market. Reg Granados 12913/3 Thanks, Reg. You must have spent 100s of hours on this! Maybe Berks someone should think about doing a modellers' column for MM!

Members: A single private small ad, with/without a photo, is free. Morris Mart Non-members: contact the Editor

Car for Sale Car for Sale Car for Sale 1932 SV 3-speed Minor 2 seater 1935 Pre Series Morris 8 tourer 1932 Morris Minor

Just fitted new loom, led lights, indicators Rebuild started 2005 from a virtual wreck. On And mini shocks. £2k engine rebuild. Condition the road 2010. 1400 miles since. Upgraded A1. £11750. to hydraulic brakes, Hardy Spicer prop shaft, Ian Haddock This is an abandoned restoration that has been better shocks plus other improvements to 07759 623 035 (Aberdeen) garaged in dry conditions for a number of enhance driving experience bur still essentially [email protected] years. It started as a complete car so it should original. Remaining rebuild is to sidescreens be all be there. It’s in the Midlands and I’m and some trim in boot. Everything works. Fully looking for £1000. roadworthy. Original registration YY 2167. Parts Wanted Chrid Harper £11,000 or very nearest offer. For 1938 Morris 8 Series 2: front ctankshaft 07724 141 715 John Dewar pulley. [email protected] 01553 674 092 (N.W. Norfolk) Valeries Davies [email protected] 01902 791 473 (W.Midlands) 46 What’s it Worth? (See p5): £4500 or near offer Car for Sale Car for Sale Car for Sale 1947 Morris 8 Series E 2 door 1926 Bullnose Oxford ¾ Coupé For Sale 1948 Morris Eight Series E

The car is in excellent condition having spent Chassis 141263/Engine 336174. Rare doctor’s 3 years restoring it and Its rust free! List of coupé. Two seater with comfortable dickie new parts includes: All chrome, brakes, brake seat. . Oxford blue over black. lines, master cylinder, wiring loom, distributor Completely re-furbished by Frank Dadson 918cc. Four door saloon. This vehicle was rebuild, charging system, battery, tyres, in 2004. New lined hood, new blue leather lovingly cared for by the late owner for 34 SS exhaust, Steering joints, hub caps and interior. Mahogany dash complete with smokers years and is very reluctantly being put on more. It has original seats in good condition. companion. Four wind up side windows. Bakers market by family. Winner of many, many Although the car is exempt it has a new MoT. dipping headlights. In very good order. A quiet awards including ‘Best Pre-1960 Classic Saloon’ It runs very nicely indeed. This is a very clean and smoke free engine. 4-speed gearbox gives at International Car Show at Alexandra Palace example the likes of which don’t come up very effortless driving. Reason for sale – I am and specifically chosen to promote car product often. £7500. getting older and the car is getting very little in advertising campaign. Still in A1 condition. Stuart Woof time on the road. £16,000. Authenticated mileage of only 31883. History 07722 943 659 (East Kent) Ian Inwood available. £9000. [email protected] 07939 241 203 (Kent) Jane Gardner [email protected] 07711 571 739 (Surrey) Parts for Sale [email protected] Series E crankshaft. Both big end and main Car Wanted journals are at -60 thou; would regrind to -80 Member wishes to purchase an unmolested Parts Wanted thou and new shells are available from Ian Morris 8 two-seater or tourer, either Series 1 For 1939 Morris 10M: a pair of rear wings or Harris. £30 ono. Buyer collects due to weight. or, preferably, Pre Series. Please phone. info as how to get some. Could bring to Thoresby in August. Bernard Lawrence Iain Wilson Frank Ashley 07745 377 971 (london E17) 1/2 07735 547 526 (Northants) [email protected] 01789 720 375 (Warks) Literature for Sale [email protected] 10 copies of The Morris Owner, 2 from 1939, 6 Parts for Sale from 1940 and 2 from 1941. Good condition, For Minor Side Valve '30- 34. 1x 4 speed Parts for Sale apart from some rusting of staples. £10 each. For Morris 8 Series E. Complete, original gearbox, 1x camshaft, 1x camshaft rear Prefer to sell as one lot. bearing, 1x pair of timing sprockets, 1x engine in good condition. Universal wheel- Tony Etheridge crankshaft rear bearing housing, 3 unused aligning equipment. High-lifting hydraulic jack 01923 231 699 (24 hr ansaphone) (Herts) pistons (std), 1x first/reverse sliding gear (3 Professional chassis stands.I also have a wide speed), 1x front axle, 1x rear axle case, 2x selection of other parts and equipment. Aslo Parts Wanted front hubs (3 pin) 1x clutch cover, 1x clutch 1x trafficator. For 1935 Pre Series Morris 8: Compass type driven plate (split in disc, but good centre), 1x Please contactfor more information: speedo/odometer. brake cross shaft, 4x leaf springs, set of brake Denis Kelly John Palmer drums. 01803 329 167 (Devon) 07786 986 886 or 01837 851 659 (Devon) Brian Shufflebotham [email protected] [email protected] 01782 515 802 (Staffs)

Morris DAVID MOLYNEUX MORRIS PISTONS Car Spares for all models 1979 New and used Morris 8 and Series E spares available used parts supplied Enquiries welcome Job lots of M8 and E parts bought Happy to assist M8 and E abandoned projects/complete cars For more information, bought for contact spares or repair graham440@ btinternet.com 01229 584 972 or or 07715 059 280 or 07506 309 281 [email protected]

Acceptance of advertisements in Morris Monthly does not imply recommendation of advertisers or their products or services by the Morris Register. When purchasing cars or spare parts from private sellers, purchasers must satisfy themselves as to the condition and value. 47 Please submit pictures Foto Finish of interest to the Editor

IT'S A MORRIS, JIM, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT...

ook away now if you are a dyed in the wool purist, but I found these on a web search after my interest was sparked by the V8 LMorris 8 "Serious" E featured on the Register stand at the NEC. There's a world out there that I never knew, and maybe never wanted to know! Thes are just the Series 1, 2 Eights. Series Es to follow if I can face it!